bobert baylor (Order #17666020)

The New Argonauts Adventure in Mythic Greece

by Sean K Reynolds
Requires use of the Dungeons & Dragons® Third Edition Core Books, published by
Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This book utilizes updated material from the v. 3.5 revision.

Additional Credits
Editing: Brian Cortijo Playtesters: Abdul “Arcturus” Brown, Carlos “Thyrsos”
Cover Illustration: Gerald Lee Cheek, Prince “Psi” Elcock, James “Xanthos”
Interior Illustrations: Greek painters whose names are Hawkins, Brian “Zale Thromes” Hendley, Chris
lost to time “Anaxis” Marleau, Terry “Numa” Spier
Greek Art Photos: Aaron Atsma, <www.Theoi.com> Special Thanks: Willow for her love and kindness, my
(Copyright ©2004 Aaron Atsma) sister Keri for lending me her textbook on the classical
Other Interior Illustrations: Purchased from age, Monte and Sue Cook for all of their support, the
<www.Hemera.com>, such images are Copyright folks at <www.WargamesFoundry.com> for making
© 2004 Sean K Reynolds Games and its licensors excellent Greek minis, Brian for his advice, Marc for his
(Hemera). All rights reserved. typese�ing skills, the original Argonauts playtesters
Proofreading: Jon Norbert Hartmann, Keri Reynolds for the fun gaming, and the Hollywood folks who
Cover and Interior Page Design: Marc Schmalz, greenlighted the movie Troy which inspired me to run a
<www.thegamemechanics.com> Greek campaign in the first place.
Typese�ing: Marc Schmalz
For additional material, go to the Sean K Reynolds Games website, <www.seankreynolds.com/skrg>.
Table of Contents
Introduction by the Author ................................................. 2 New Magic Items ........................................................... 22
Chapter 1: Characters ........................................................... 3 Chapter 4: Culture............................................................... 24
Races ................................................................................... 3 Chapter 5: Deities ................................................................ 31
Classes ................................................................................ 3 Greek Prehistory............................................................. 31
Skills ................................................................................... 4 Olympian Gods and Titans ........................................... 32
Feat Changes ..................................................................... 6 Olympian Genealogy .................................................... 33
New Feats .......................................................................... 7 Olympian Symbology .................................................... 35
New Classes .................................................................... 10 Chapter 6: History ............................................................... 36
Bloodlines ........................................................................ 13 Chapter 7: Running the Campaign ................................... 39
Equipment ....................................................................... 16 Mythic Elements ............................................................. 39
Chapter 2: Variant Rules .................................................... 17 Wealth, Rewards, & Starting Level .............................. 41
Continuing Poison Damage .......................................... 17 Sample Argonauts Campaign ...................................... 41
Donations and Intervention .......................................... 17 Chapter 8: Monsters ............................................................ 44
Slower Dying .................................................................. 19 Appendix: Sources and Suggested Reading ................... 63
Chapter 3: Magic ................................................................. 20 OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a .............................. 64
New and Modified Spells.............................................. 20

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and are used with Permission. All rights reserved. Cook or Sean K Reynolds, except for purposes of
The mention of or reference to any company or review or use of Open Game Content consistent
product in these pages is not a challenge to the with the Open Game License. In other words, I
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content is ©2004 Sean K Reynolds. This edition please don’t fileshare it. The original purchaser
of New Argonauts is produced under version may print or photocopy copies for his or her own
1.0a, 4.0, and/or draft versions of the Open Game License, the personal use only (including for use in their gaming group).
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)

 Introduction by the Author
Welcome to The New Argonauts, a book for running This book is intended to be enough information
campaigns in mythic Greece. Before ge�ing into to let you run a short campaign (8-12 sessions
what this book is, let me cover what this book is not. or even longer) set in mythic Greece. If you like
It’s not a full history of Greece in the classic Troy, Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts,
era. It’s not a comprehensive survey of culture or similar movies, this book is the key to heroic
and geography in the Hellenic world. It’s not adventure. Heroes are masters of the sword
an accurate representation of religion in ancient and spear, magic is in the hands of the gods or
Greece. It’s not a suitable source for a term paper of mysterious sorcerer-women, and the world’s
on Greek myths. It’s not here to educate, illuminate, monsters are unique creatures born of the gods
or proselytize. It’s not an a�empt to cram dwarves, or special circumstances rather than members of
elves, paladins, wizards, otyughs, and the a race of similar-shaped things. This is what I call
tarrasque into mythic Greece. “an Argonauts campaign.”
I like experimenting with
variant campaign ideas,
particularly short-term ones.
Super heroes doomed to die,
Greek heroes, musketeers,
angel PCs, demon PCs, and
so on. I ran an Argonauts
campaign in the spring of 2004
for some of my friends from
work. We really got into the
spirit of the game and had a
great time. I hope that you
enjoy this book and have a fun
time using it.
Throughout this book, a
dagger symbol (†) refers to a
new feat, spell, item, or class
found in this book. All other
references to game material are
from the Core Rulebooks. Any
reference to “Hellenes” means
“Greeks,” “Hellenic” means
“having to do with Greece”
(the ancient Greeks a�er the
time of Homer called their
land Hellas and themselves
Hellenes).
One last note about the
game content in this book: It’s
designed for an Argonauts
campaign, but most of it can
be used as-is for a standard
campaign. Some of it requires
some adjustment for a
standard campaign; these
changes are noted with the
rules in question. Anything
without such a note is A-OK
for use in a standard fantasy
campaign. I’m tempted to
swear by the Styx that it is so....

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 Chapter 1: Characters
The heroes of mythic Greece were all skilled in
ba�le, skilled in cra� or trade, backed by the gods,
and almost always male. This chapter details the
creation process for characters made specifically for
this campaign, as well as special rules regarding
classes, skills, and feats in the campaign.
Races
In a standard Argonauts campaign, humans are the
only available race; in mythic Greece there were no
dwarves, elves, or other humanoid races that are the
staple of fantasy games. Creatures such as centaurs
and satyrs exist, but they tend to be wild creatures
and are generally unaccepted in human society, so
such creatures are not allowed as PC races.
However, in the myths most heroes were
descended from the gods. Heracles and Perseus
were sons of Zeus, as was Cadmus. Asclepius
(founder of medicine) was the son of Apollo, and
Orion and Theseus (slayer of the minotaur) were
sons of Poseidon. Many of these god-fathered
(and sometimes god-mothered) mortals went on
to become great kings, and their children o�en
became great heroes as well. In the stories these
godly bloodlines usually just meant extraordinary
luck or perhaps enhanced physical prowess (such as
Heracles’ incredible strength). In a fantasy campaign
we can do something a li�le more exciting; the
typical PC in an Argonauts campaign is descended
from a god or goddess (two or more generations
previous) and has a bloodline (see below).
Classes
The Greek heroes were masters of ba�le or
extremely clever, not meddlers in magic. This
affects class selection in an Argonauts campaign.
The short form is that only the barbarian, fighter,
and rogue classes are available in an Argonauts
campaign; see below for further explanation.
Barbarian: Barbarian is an available class, but
its rage ability reminds many people of the crazed
babble of uncivilized foreigners or the madness
of a cursed hero, so this class isn’t popular among
even the martial-minded people of mythic Greece.
Only the followers of Ares, god of ba�le-lust, are
comfortable around barbarians.
Bard: While the Greeks loved music, song, and
poetry, bardic spellcasting is not possible in mythic
Greece and this class is not available. Those wishing
to play a master musician like Orpheus, capable of
swaying the heart of Hades himself and causing
rocks to shed tears of sorrow, should consider the
Orphean Music† feat listed later in this chapter.
Cleric: As there are no spellcasters of this type
in mythic Greece, this class is unavailable. Those
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wishing to take the route of a healer or priest should
look to the Hellenic Priest† and Field Surgeon† feats.
Druid: As cleric.
Fighter: This is the staple class of the mythic
Greek hero. Because heavy armor and tower
shields aren’t available in this campaign, fighters
are not proficient in either of those equipment
categories. To compensate for this loss of a class
ability, all fighter characters gain Combat Expertise
as a bonus feat (even if they don’t meet the
prerequisites for the feat) to reflect their greater
awareness of defensive combat maneuvers (see also
notes on this feat in the feats section below). Heal is
a class skill for fighters in this campaign.
Monk: While the Greeks prized wrestling as
a measure of strength and skill, the concept of a
martial artist in this style is contrary to the theme
of the campaign, and this class is not available.
Those wishing to play Greek wrestler characters
should take levels in fighter and use fighter bonus
feats to select appropriate combat feats such as
Improved Grapple.
Paladin: The spellcasting and overt magical
abilities of this class make it unsuitable for an
Argonauts campaign. Players wanting a holy
warrior character should take fighter levels and the
Hellenic Priest† feat.
Ranger: While the Greeks admired hunters, the
spellcasting abilities of this class make it unsuitable
for an Argonauts campaign. Players wanting a
skilled hunter or tracker character should take levels
in fighter and rogue, and select the Track feat.
Rogue: Many heroes in the myths had to sneak
past monsters or escape from enemy dungeons,
and as such it is the second-most common class for
Asclepius, the First Doctor
 Chapter One: Characters
characters in an Argonauts campaign. Heal and
Survival are class skills for rogues in this campaign.
Sorcerer: The spellcasting of this class is
unsuitable for the style of magic in this campaign.
Players wanting a magical character should
consider the Hellenic sorceress† class (see below).
Wizard: As sorcerer.
NPC Classes
Some of the NPC classes are unsuitable for an
Argonauts campaign, while a couple of them may
be appropriate for PCs with unusual backgrounds.
Adept: As cleric.
Aristocrat: Most nobles in mythic Greece are
from military families and most of them take levels
in the fighter or warrior class, but those who are
good with words as well as weapons sometimes
begin as aristocrats. Like fighters, aristocrats gain
Combat Expertise as a bonus feat (even if they
don’t meet the prerequisites). Unlike fighters, Heal
is not a class skill for aristocrats.
Commoner: The bulk of the regular people in the
world of the Greeks are commoners. In most cases,
Greek heroes should not have commoner levels; by
definition they are greater than your typical person.
The class is unchanged from the core rules.
Expert: Some Greek myths (namely those
involving Asclepius and Daedalus) are about
especially clever folk rather than great warriors,
and clearly in game terms they possessed levels
in the expert class. PCs in an Argonauts campaign
may take levels in the expert class, though it is
slightly weaker than a PC class. It is unchanged
from the core rules.
Warrior: Warriors are the rank-and-file soldiers
of the Greek world. PCs in an Argonauts campaign
Behind The Curtain: Compensating For Weaker Armor
One of the balancing acts in the game is between the AC of player
characters and the attack ability of monsters; both scale up as characters
grow more powerful, though AC tends to scale more slowly. In an Argonauts
campaign, most characters are fighters and the main way they improve
their AC is through better mundane armor. With no heavy armor in the
campaign, player character AC is significantly lower than the typical game
setup, and characters are going to get hit more often and therefore take
damage more often. When coupled with the scarcity of quick healing in the
game (as there are no true spellcasters), it means a greater chance of PC
death, especially in facing monsters that can deal significant amounts of
damage but don’t have great attack values. Rather than trying to adjust the
CRs of every monster the PCs might encounter, it’s a simple matter to give
fighters the Combat Expertise feat as a bonus feat, even if they don’t meet
the prerequisites. Not only does this compensate for the fighter losing heavy
armor proficiency, it suits the feel of the campaign (agile lightly-armored
men running around in a warm climate). As the cleric and paladin are the
only other classes that get heavy armor proficiency, and neither of those
classes is available in an Argonauts campaign, the bonus feat also makes
sure the fighter is at an advantage compared to a rogue or other character
who normally wears lighter armor.
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may take levels in the warrior class, though it is
slightly weaker than a PC class. Like fighters,
warriors gain Combat Expertise as a bonus feat
(whether or not they meet the prerequisites) and
Heal is a class skill for them.
Prestige Classes
Most prestige classes in the core books are
unsuitable for an Argonauts campaign, relying
on spellcasting classes (arcane archer, arcane
trickster, archmage, dragon disciple, eldritch
knight, hierophant, loremaster, mystic theurge,
thaumaturgist) or nonhuman races (arcane
archer, dwarven defender), or supernatural
elements not present in the campaign
(blackguard, shadowdancer). The prestige classes
not disqualified for those reasons are listed below.
Assassin: Though considered cowardly
compared to face-to-face combatants, assassins
have played a role in the Greek myths, and from
time to time even some of the greatest heroes have
opted to kill their enemies with stealth and trickery.
Assassins in an Argonauts campaign do not learn
or cast spells.
Duelist: Duelists in an Argonauts campaign
tend to use short swords or daggers (since rapiers
are not available in the campaign). Given the
acceptance of nudity in Greece, many duelists
choose to fight completely naked.
Horizon Walker: Contained within the loose
borders of the Greek civilization are dozens of
mysterious islands, remote mountain peaks, and
dangerous caves leading to monstrous lairs and
even the underworld. Horizon walkers are heroes
comfortable or at least familiar with these locales
(one could argue that Odysseus was a horizon
walker). In an Argonauts campaign, the later levels
of the class grant only terrain mastery (not planar
terrain mastery).
Scorpion Scion: This class is available at
SeanKReynolds.com, and is useable as-is in an
Argonauts campaign.
Serpent Archer: This class is available at
SeanKReynolds.com. In an Argonauts campaign,
the class does not grant the Cra� Snake Salve
and Cra� Greater Snake Salve abilities. Instead,
at 3rd level the poison DC for the archer’s snakes
increases by +1, and at 7th level it increases by
another +1.
Skills
This section explains any changes to skills in the
game. If a skill isn’t listed, it operates according
to the standard rules. Note that several comments
below suggest the DM discourage players from
 Chapter One: Characters
taking ranks in certain skills; this is not an a�empt
to trick or cheat the players, but rather to prevent
them from wasting skill points on skills that
will rarely or never be used in the course of the
campaign (just as a campaign on a desert world is
unlikely to ever call for using the Swim skill).
Concentration: As this skill relates mostly to
spellcasting, it has almost no use in an Argonauts
campaign, and you should discourage players
from selecting this skill. The Hellenic sorceress†
class, however, casts spells, and some of the godly
bloodlines (see the Bloodlines section, below) grant
spell-like abilities, so characters of these types may
need some ranks in this skill.
Cra�: Characters cannot use this skill to create
items that surpass the technological level of
the campaign (for example, heavy armor; see
Equipment, below). Cra� (alchemy) is only a class
skill for the Hellenic sorceress† class or characters
with the Hellenic Alchemy† feat.
Decipher Script: One of the benefits of the
height of classical Greek civilization is that the
entire campaign area is familiar with the Greek
language and almost always uses Greek for
writings. As such, Decipher Script has li�le use,
and unless you plan to incorporate other languages
into the campaign, you should discourage
characters from selecting this skill.
Disable Device: The use of traps in this
campaign is limited, and unless you plan to
increase the use of traps in a campaign, you should
discourage players from selecting this skill.
Heal: Because magical healing is rare in an
Argonauts campaign, the use of Heal to stabilize
characters and accelerate healing from rest is vital.
Because of this need (and the relatively strong
awareness of general hygiene and medicine in this
era), Heal is a class skill for fighters and rogues,
and the Asclepian Doctor† and Field Surgeon† feats
expand the utility of this skill.
Knowledge (arcana): Given the limited presence
of magic in the campaign, this skill is of limited
use, and you should discourage your players from
choosing it.
Knowledge (dungeoneering): The Argonauts
campaign has few elements of underground
exploration, and you should discourage your
players from selecting this skill.
Knowledge (geography): This skill is useful for
knowing details about foreign lands, particularly
when the Greek civilization spread far and touched
(and mixed with) elements of foreign cultures.
Knowledge (history): This skill lets you recall
information about the various monsters of the Greek
world and their strange abilities (DCs for such
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things are included in the monster’s description),
as well as the tales of the accomplishments of great
heroes. In an Argonauts campaign there is no bard
class, so having 5 ranks in this skill does not provide
a synergy bonus to bardic knowledge checks.
Knowledge (nature): This skill is helpful for
knowing about natural creatures of the world, but
not monstrous ones. For example, if confronted
with a Calydonian boar (see the Monsters chapter),
you would be able to make certain assumptions
about its behavior because it is a giant boar, but
you wouldn’t know about any of its magical
or otherwise non-boarlike qualities (such as its
carnivorous diet, ability to heal quickly, and so on).
Knowledge (nobility and royalty): This skill
helps when trying to determine a king’s lineage,
such as whether or not he has a great hero or god
in his ancestry.
Knowledge (religion): Similar to Knowledge
(history), this skill is useful in remembering tales
of the exploits of the gods on Earth and their
interactions with each other. In an Argonauts
campaign there are no clerics or paladins, so 5
ranks in this skill does not provide a synergy bonus
to turn undead checks.
Knowledge (the planes): Viewing the planes
as distinct dimensions is a foreign concept to
the Greeks; the gods lived at the top of Mount
Behind the Curtain: Spellcasters Need Not Apply
Probably the biggest difference between an Argonauts campaign and a
standard campaign is that the Argonauts game assumes that everyone is
going to be some sort of fighter and that spellcasters are very, very rare. In a
set of game rules where two of the four iconic classes are spellcasters, not
having spellcasters in the party makes a huge difference in how the game
plays. Creatures with DR/magic are suddenly much more powerful because
magic weapons are much less common (and there’s nobody around to
cast magic weapon). Creatures with spell resistance are weaker than they
appear because they were designed to be challenging to a party that includes
spellcasters. Player characters have access to very few area-attack effects.
The role of the Will save (and to a lesser extent the Reflex save) diminishes.
Monsters that deal a lot of damage are far more deadly because there’s no
cleric on hand to heal a PC during combat. PCs have a harder time dealing
with the expected four encounters per adventuring day because they can’t
heal up in between encounters.
Material in this book is designed to take these changes into account. PCs
have an easier time making magic items out of strange monster parts, despite
not having spellcaster levels needed for the various item creation feats. Feats
like Toughness give a little more than they do in a standard campaign. New
feats like Armor Defense Mastery† and Counter Combat Style† improve a PC’s
chances of avoiding extra damage or being hit at all, and feats like Hellenic
Priest† and Field Surgeon† give PCs access to needed healing. Standard
monsters from the MM have been retooled so they deal less damage per
round. Many of the monsters have poison attacks, against which the good-
Fort-save fighter characters are strong. These options were created with an
Argonauts campaign in mind, but they’re equally applicable to any campaign
where spellcasters are rare or nonexistent. As a general rule in game design,
if you make a significant change to some aspect of the game, it’s a good idea
to think about how that change affects other parts of the game, and plan ways
to compensate for it.
 Chapter One: Characters
Olympus and the realm of the dead is a place you
can reach through the proper caves. Information
about Olympus and the underworld is handled
by Knowledge (religion). You should discourage
players from taking this skill.
Open Lock: Locks are fairly simple in this
time period and it is extremely rare to find a
lock of good quality (DC 30) or higher, so unless
you plan on using more difficult locks, most
characters don’t need more than 10 ranks in this
skill unless they want to routinely open locks
without taking 20.
Perform: Keyboard instruments are unavailable
in this time period. The most common instruments
are the lyre, drum, pan pipes, and flute.
Profession: Professions that require higher
technology (such as siege engineer) are unavailable
in this campaign.
Ride: Most heroes in Greek myth did not ride
horses, but there is no reason why they couldn’t.
However, war-trained mounts are unusual and
normally harnessed to chariots rather than ridden
directly.
Speak Language: As with Decipher Script, the
Argonauts campaign assumes that almost everyone
the heroes encounter speaks some Greek; even
the intelligent monsters speak Greek rather than a
racial language. If you increase the prevalence of
other languages, this skill may be useful, but for
most campaigns you should discourage players
from selecting this skill. Characters with bonus
languages from a high Intelligence score can
also use these bonus languages to learn different
dialects of Greek (Athenian, Spartan, Theban,
and so on), allowing them to speak without a
recognizable accent, and ranks in this skill may be
used for that purpose as well.
Greek Names
There are hundreds of common Greek names. The names on the short
lists presented here were chosen because they sound Greek and period-
appropriate. Note that in Greek, a word is pronounced the same whether it
ends in “a” or “e” and can be spelled either way. For example, Athena and
Athene are the same name and are pronounced the same way (ah-THEEN-
ah). However, you should feel free to pronounce them any way you think
sounds best.
Male Names: Adras, Aeneas, Baltsaros, Baruch, Cadmus, Chrysostom,
Demetrius, Doran, Etor, Eusebius, Feodor, Feodras, Gelasius, Gregor,
Hesperos, Hippolytusr, Isidore, Istvan, Jeno, Jerome, Kratos, Kyros,
Leander, Lysander, Maur, Meletios, Nestor, Nicolaus, Ophelos, Owen,
Phineas, Porfirio, Rasmus, Rodas, Sebastian, Stefano, Theodosios, Theron,
Ulysses, Urian, Vanko, Vasilis, Xenophon, Xenos, Zale, Zoltan.
Female Names: Alyssa, Ambrosine, Basilia, Berenice, Calantha,
Corinna, Daphne, Dorcas, Erianthe, Euphemia, Fern, Filomena, Gelasia,
Giancinta, Hermandine, Hyacinthe, Iolanthe, Isaura, Jacinta, Jarina, Kalliope,
Kolete, Larissa, Lycoris, Marmara, Melita, Neoma, Niobe, Odessa, Ophelia,
Parthenia, Pyrena, Resi, Rhodanthe, Sandra, Sophia, Theophania, Thera,
Urania, Venessa, Veronica, Xanthia, Xenia, Yalena, Yolanda, Zenobia, Zoe.
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Spellcra�: Given the limited presence of magic
in the campaign, this skill is of limited use, and you
should discourage your players from choosing it.
Survival: Because this campaign has no ranger
class, rogues have Survival as a class skill.
Use Magic Device: Given the limited presence
of magic in the campaign, this skill is of limited
use, and you should discourage your players from
choosing it.
Feat Changes
This section explains any changes to feats in the
game. If a feat isn’t listed, it operates according
to the standard rules. Note that Skill Focus and
some of the “+2/+2” feats described in the Player’s
Handbook refer to limited-use skills as described in
the section above; those feats are not called out here.
Armor Proficiency (heavy): This feat is not
available.
Brew Potion: This feat is not available. A
character who wants to cra� magic items should
choose the Hellenic Alchemy† feat (see New
Feats, below).
Combat Expertise: All fighters gain this feat as
a bonus feat. A character with a base a�ack bonus
of +6 or higher can use that value as the limit for
this feat rather than the default +5/-5 value (for
example, a character with a +10 BAB could take
up to a -10 penalty to a�ack in exchange for up to
a +10 bonus to AC). This helps compensate for the
lack of heavy armor in the campaign (and thus a
reduced ability to achieve the high armor classes
available in a standard campaign).
Cra� Magic Arms and Armor: See Brew Potion.
Cra� Rod: See Brew Potion.
Cra� Staff: See Brew Potion.
Cra� Wand: See Brew Potion.
Cra� Wondrous Item: See Brew Potion.
Dodge: Rather than using this feat, try the
Defensive Stance† feat presented in the New Feats
section.
Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Because there
are no exotic weapons generally available in the
campaign, this feat is of limited use unless you
decide to introduce such weapons.
Extra Turning: As there are no classes in the
Argonauts campaign that can turn undead, and
because of the almost-complete absence of undead
in the campaign, this feat is not available.
Forge Ring: See Brew Potion.
Improved Critical: This feat stacks with the keen
weapon property.
Improved Turning: See Extra Turning.
Iron Will: In the Argonauts campaign there are
few creatures that have Will-save effects (sirens
 Chapter One: Characters
being one of them), so this feat is much
less useful than in a standard campaign.
If you know for sure you aren’t going
to use such creatures in your campaign,
do not let players select this feat, as they’ll
never make Will saving throws and are
wasting a feat if they take this.
Lightning Reflexes: Similar to Iron
Will, there are few creatures in the
campaign that have area-effect a�acks
(dragons and the chimera are two that do).
Manyshot: This feat is not available
(the author has run the numbers on it
and determined that it’s too good as
presented).
Martial Weapon Proficiency:
This can only be used to gain
proficiency in weapons available in
the campaign; taking Martial Weapon
Proficiency (composite longbow)
doesn’t suddenly make composite
longbows available in stores.
Rapid Shot: This feat has a -3
penalty rather than -2.
Scribe Scroll: See Brew Potion.
Simple Weapon Proficiency: As
Martial Weapon Proficiency.
Toughness: This feat gives +5 hit points
rather that +3.
Tower Shield Proficiency: This
feat is not available.
New Feats
This section describes the new feats
available in an Argonauts campaign. Some of the
feats are balanced for the special circumstances of
this campaign and are not appropriate as wri�en
for general campaign use; these feats contain notes
at the end explaining what changes to make for
these feats to be balanced according to a standard
campaign. Some feats are marked with the [Fighter]
descriptor; fighters can use their bonus feats to select
these feats.
Armor Defense Mastery [Fighter, General]
Your specialized awareness of the strengths and
weaknesses of your armor allows you to be�er
utilize it in combat to protect yourself.
Prerequisites: Armor Proficiency (any), Dex 13,
Tumble 1 rank or Lightning Reflexes.
Benefit: When wearing armor in which you
are proficient, the maximum Dexterity bonus for
that armor is treated as 1 greater than normal (for
example, a breastplate would have a maximum
Dexterity bonus of +4).
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You know exactly where the strongest parts
of your armor (or shield) are, enabling you to
twist your body to place those parts between
your vital organs and an incoming a�ack,
thus reducing the chance of a successful sneak
a�ack or critical hit. Once per round, when
hit by such an a�ack, you have a 25% chance
to turn that sneak a�ack or critical hit into a
normal hit (similar to the fortification magic
armor property). You must be wearing armor
or a shield to use this ability and you must be
proficient in that armor or shield.
You cannot use this ability if you are denied
your Dexterity bonus to AC, cannot see the
source of an a�ack, or cannot otherwise react
to a�acks. If you are wearing fortification
armor or have a similar effect, use the
greater value (do not make a d% roll for
this ability and for the fortification ability).
Example: Thyrsos is wearing
breastplate armor and ba�ling a
Thracian rogue and a priest scion of
Hermes (currently invisible using his
scion ability). The rogue and priest are
flanking Thyrsos, so the rogue’s a�ack
is a sneak a�ack. The rogue a�acks
Thyrsos and hits. Carlos rolls d% and
gets a 21, which is less than 25%, so the
rogue’s a�ack is just a normal hit, not
a sneak a�ack. The priest on his turn
rolls a critical hit with his spear
against Thyrsos. Thyrsos cannot
use this feat to negate the priest’s
critical hit because he has already
used it this round to negate the rogue’s sneak
a�ack and also because the priest was invisible
when he struck the critical hit (so Thyrsos could
not see where the priest’s spear was coming from).
Asclepian Doctor [General]
Your knowledge of medicine lets you perform
miracles of healing.
Prerequisites: Field Surgeon†, Heal 10 ranks.
Benefit: You can use the Heal skill to perform
complex surgery and use advanced treatment
methods to cure mortal wounds and terminal
afflictions. The required treatment determines the
DC of the Heal check.
Treatment DC
Neutralize poison 15 + poison DC
Remove disease 15 + poison DC
Cure hit points 20
Repair injury 20
Raise the dead 30 + number of
days dead
 Chapter One: Characters
Neutralize Poison: You detoxify one poison from
a creature or object, similar to using the spell of the
same name.
Remove Disease: You cure one disease present in
the target creature, similar to using the spell of the
same name.
Cure Hit Points: You cure 1d10 hit points as if
using a cure spell. This is immediate curing rather
than the delayed effect of field surgery.
Repair Injury: You can repair permanent injuries
or debilitations such as a crippled leg or blindness.
The patient can’t regrow missing tissue, so
recovering lost limbs or repairing blindness from
having one’s eyes torn out cannot be accomplished.
Raise the Dead: You can restore life to a person
killed by poison, disease, or injury, subject to the
limitations of the raise dead spell. The gods do not
appreciate mortals raising the dead, however,
and Zeus hurled a thunderbolt at the last mortal
to do so....
Treating a patient normally takes 1 hour. You
may take 20 on this check. Reducing the time to 10
minutes, 5 minutes, or 1 minute respectively adds
+5, +10, or +15 to the DC.
Try Again: Yes.
Counter Combat Style [Fighter, General]
Choose a particular style of a�ack, such as “two-
weapon fighting” or “two-handed weapon
fighting.” You can be�er defend yourself against
enemies using this style against you. Possible a�ack
styles for this feat are natural weapons, two-weapon
fighting (two weapons, each in opposite hands),
one-handed weapon fighting (using a weapon one-
handed, with the other hand carrying a shield or
otherwise not wielding a weapon), and two-handed
weapon fighting (using a weapon two-handed,
whether or not it is required for the weapon).
Prerequisites: BAB +4.
Benefit: You gain a +2 shield bonus to Armor
Class against a�acks from creatures using the
selected a�ack style. This shield bonus stacks with
the bonus from an actual shield or other sources,
but not with itself.
You gain the benefits of this feat against all
appropriate opponents and can use different
defenses against simultaneous a�ackers with
different styles. For example, if you have all four
versions of this feat and you are a�acked by four
creatures, each using a different a�ack style, you
gain the shield bonus against all four of them.
Creatures using multiweapon fighting count as
using a two-weapon fighting a�ack, as multiweapon
fighting is the two-weapon fighting style for
creatures with more than two weapon-using limbs.
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
A creature using more than one a�ack type in
a round (such as a four-armed creature using two
manufactured weapons and two claw a�acks) can
be considered having different “sets” of a�acks, and
each “set” counts as the appropriate a�ack types.
Example: A xill normally uses two short swords
and two claws, and its a�acks can be classified
as two “sets”: one using two-weapon fighting
style, one using natural a�ack style. A character
with either Counter Combat Style (two-weapon
fighting) or Counter Combat Style (natural weapon
fighting) gets the shield bonus from this feat when
fighting the xill.
You can never gain more than a +2 shield bonus
from this feat against any particular creature (so
a character with both feats mentioned in the xill
example would still only have a +2 shield bonus
to AC).
You cannot gain the benefit of this feat when
you are unable to identify the combat style of your
a�acker (your a�acker is invisible, you are blinded,
etc.), nor when you are incapable of defending
yourself (if you are helpless, denied your Dexterity
bonus to AC, or flat-footed).
Note: A two-handed creature using a natural
weapon in one hand and a manufactured weapon
in the other counts as the two-weapon fighting
style and the natural weapon style (either Counter
Combat Style feat applies); it does not count as the
one-handed weapon style (as that style requires the
other hand to not be holding a weapon). A creature
holding a weapon in one hand but not using it that
round counts as not having a weapon in that hand
until its next turn (therefore a character holding a
sword and dagger who only a�acks with the sword
counts as using the one-handed fighting style until
its next turn, when it has the option of using the
dagger as part of its a�ack routine).
Unarmed strikes count as natural weapons for
the purpose of this feat. A character making off-hand
unarmed strikes or monk flurries also counts as using
the two-weapon fighting style, as does a character
a�acking with a spiked shield in its off hand.
Special: You may gain this feat up to four times.
Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat,
it applies to a new a�ack style.
Defensive Stance [Fighter, General]
(Used with permission from Monte Cook.)
You are trained at avoiding and blocking blows.
Prerequisites: Dexterity 13.
Benefit: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to Armor
Class against all melee a�acks.
Special: A condition that makes you lose your
Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes
 Chapter One: Characters
you lose Dodge bonuses. You must be aware of
the a�ack to gain this bonus. As always, dodge
bonuses stack with each other, unlike most other
types of bonuses.
Extra Greater Bloodline Use [General]
You can use your greater bloodline ability (see
Bloodlines, below) more o�en than normal.
Prerequisites: Greater bloodline with a uses/day
limitation.
Benefit: You can use your greater bloodline
ability one additional time per day.
Field Surgeon [Fighter, General]
Your awareness of human anatomy allows you to
perform simple surgery to treat wounds.
Prerequisites: Heal 5 ranks.
Benefit: You can perform simple field surgery,
allowing creatures to recover more quickly from
their wounds. Field surgery expends one use
from a healer’s kit. To perform field surgery, you
must make a Heal check and spend time treating
an injured creature; success means that on the
creature’s next rest period it heals 1d4 points of
damage (this is in addition to the normal amount
healed from resting and with being under long-
term care from a person with the Heal skill).
The amount of time you take treating the injury
determines the DC of the check according to the
following table.
Treatment Time DC
1 minute 25
5 minutes 20
10 minutes 15
You decide how long you will perform the
surgery before making the check. You cannot take
20 on this check. If you fail the check by 4 or less,
nothing happens. If you fail this check by 5 or
more, the patient loses 1 hit point. If this puts the
patient below 0 hit points, he starts dying.
You can use field surgery on a creature multiple
times, but the additional healing from field
surgery in one day cannot exceed the patient’s
Constitution score (additional surgeries have no
effect).
Example: A patient with Constitution 10 cannot
recover more than 10 additional hit points from
field surgery per day.
Try Again: You may try again as long as the
patient is alive.
Hellenic Alchemy [Item Creation]
Your skill with natural materials lets you create
fantastic items.
Prerequisites: Cra� (alchemy) 1 rank.
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Benefit: You may create various magic items
described in Chapter 3: Magic as long as you meet
the prerequisites. Cra�ing items with this feat uses
the normal rules for cra�ing magic items.
Cra� (alchemy) is always a class skill for you.
Note: This is a universal item creation feat
for an Argonauts campaign, allowing a heroic
character to cra� magic items suitable for the
campaign without having to take multiple feats
or introducing inappropriate items such as scrolls
and wands. It has limited use outside of an
Argonauts campaign unless the DM determines
equivalent prerequisites for other magic items.
Hellenic Priest [General]
The gods have given you the power to heal with a
touch.
Prerequisites: Heal 2 ranks, Knowledge
(religion) 1 rank, worshiper of an Olympian god.
Benefit: Three times per day, you may call upon
the power of the gods to heal a creature 1d4 points
of damage. This is a supernatural ability, and only
works on yourself or other worshippers of the
Olympian gods.
Heal is always a class skill for you.
This feat requires you to pay proper homage
to the Olympian gods and respect their edicts.
Failure to do so strips you of the ability to use this
feat until you have atoned for your transgressions,
similar to a cleric becoming an ex-cleric.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times.
Each time you take it gives you three additional
uses of this ability per day.
Note: In a standard campaign, this feat can be
used for other (non-Greek) pantheons. It is a spell-
like ability (equivalent level 0) and only heals 1-2
points of damage per use.
Leaping Strike [Fighter, General]
You can leap to a�ack enemies from unexpected
directions.
Prerequisites: Medium size, Jump 8 ranks, BAB
+5.
Benefit: As part of a charge a�ack, make a Jump
check (DC 16 if your target is Medium, 24 if Large,
32 if Huge). If you succeed, you may make an a�ack
as normal, except if the a�ack hits, it automatically
threatens a critical hit. If you drop the target with
the a�ack, you can continue moving in a straight
line to the extent of your remaining movement
available.
Luck of the Gods [General]
The gods look favorably on your activities and
subtly aid you when you are in trouble.
 Chapter One: Characters
Prerequisites: Scion of an Olympian god.
Benefit: You get a +1 luck bonus to all three
saving throw categories.
Monster Hunter [Fighter, General]
You studied the legends of the strange monsters
of the Greek world and learned the best ways to
fight them.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to Bluff, Listen,
Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks against
the monsters of Greek myth (listed in Chapter 9:
Monsters), as well as a +1 to weapon damage rolls
against these creatures.
Nature Spirit Lore [General]
You are familiar with dryads, river nymphs, and
other embodiments of the natural world.
Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to Bluff,
Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks for dealing
with dryads, wood nymphs, river gods, and other
nature-guardian entities of mythic Greece.
Orphean Music [General]
You know how to use music to inspire courage and
counter hostile musical effects.
Prerequisites: Charisma 13, Perform 3 ranks.
Benefit: Once per day per character level,
you can use the power of music to either inspire
courage or countersong, just as if you were a bard.
Scholar [General]
You have studied with the learned men of Greece
and have taken these studies to heart.
Prerequisites: Intelligence 11.
Benefit: All Knowledge skills are class skills
for you. Choose two skills (Bluff, Diplomacy,
Intimidate, or a Knowledge skill); you get a +1
bonus to checks for those two skills.
Special: You can only take this feat as a 1st-level
character, and only if you are not a barbarian.
Touch of Immortality [General]
The blood of an immortal runs strongly in your
veins.
Prerequisites: Scion of an Olympian god.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to Fortitude saves
and +2 hit points. When at 0 or fewer hit points,
you have a 25% chance to stabilize per round.
Normal: Without this feat you have only a 10%
chance to stabilize per round.
New Classes
Spellcasters in the Hellenic world were usually
mysterious women, sometimes of ambiguous
ethics and character. These characters can be built
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
with the Hellenic sorceress class, uniquely suited
for the limited magic of the Argonauts campaign.
Hellenic Sorceress
In the Greek myths, the only beings who practice
magic are the gods and a few mortal women who
devote themselves to the darker aspects of Hecate,
the goddess of magic. Feared for their power by
other mortals, they are tainted in some slight way,
either by a lack of morals or a touch of madness.
Still, the Hellenic sorceress is a woman with many
skills valuable to a traveling hero, and more than
once she has been the only reason the heroes
succeeded, or survived at all. Circe and Medea are
examples of the Hellenic sorceress class.
Adventurers: Most Hellenic sorceresses prefer
to work alone in secluded places, pursuing their
magic to the exclusion of all else, but from time to
time they encounter someone worth their a�ention,
and once convinced that their involvement would
benefit them they have been known to travel with
adventuring heroes on their adventures. Their
experiences researching the depths of the mind and
the underworld inure them to the commonplace
horrors of the mortal world, and o�en the sorceress
finds herself bolstering the courage of her heroic
allies frozen at the sight of some horrific monster
created at the birth of the world.
Characteristics: Hellenic sorceresses cast arcane
spells, many of which draw upon the sorceress’
knowledge of strange drugs and magical herbs.
Their spells are oriented toward affecting creatures’
minds, creating illusions, certain aspects of
necromancy, and transforming men into beasts.
They have li�le interest in weapons, preferring to
thwart enemies with spells and protect themselves
with special magic and intervention by allies or
charmed slaves.
Alignment: Because they study things mortals
were not meant to know and sometimes flaunt the
laws of mortals and gods, few Hellenic sorceresses
are good or lawful. Because some of their spells
draw on evil forces, even the rare good sorceresses
usually become neutral or evil a�er a while.
Religion: All Hellenic sorceresses worship the
Greek gods, for they understand that all power,
magical or otherwise, comes from the gods or their
titan forbears. In fact, many Hellenic sorceresses
are directly descended from the gods (Circe was a
daughter of Helios, god of the sun, and some say
that Medea was Circe’s niece). They specifically
revere Hecate as their patron goddess. Sorceresses
are still mortals and have been known to defy
godly laws—Medea murdered her own brother,
one of the most terrible sins in Greek culture—but
 Chapter One: Characters
if they do so they still keep their magical powers,
though they may be punished by the gods for their
transgressions.
Background: Sorceresses are born with the
talent for their magic, but most never realize it
because they are never initiated into the study of
magic. The lucky few are found by an established
sorceress, trained in the basics of magic, and then
leave to study on their own. This means that every
sorceress knows at least one other of her kind,
though they may not be friendly toward each other.
Most established sorceresses usually have one or
more apprentices on hand to work as servants
while they learn magic.
Other Classes: Sorceresses see the world
divided into three parts: the gods, sorceresses, and
everyone else. Many treat common people and
even heroes with u�er contempt, regardless of
their profession, valuing them only for the minimal
services they can perform.
Role: The sorceress is the source of magic
and knowledge in the party. Of all the classes in
the Argonauts campaign, only the sorceress has
any sort of spellcasting and access to multiple
Knowledge class skills. While she has few direct-
Hecate, Goddess of Magic
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damage a�acks, her magic is useful for bolstering
her allies or befuddling strong enemies.
Game Rule Information
Hellenic sorceresses have the following game
statistics.
Abilities: Like a regular sorcerer, a Hellenic
sorceress’ most important ability score is Charisma,
which determines the most powerful spells she can
cast, whether or not she gets any bonus spells per
pay, and the DC of her spells.
Because she normally doesn’t wear armor, a high
Dexterity score greatly improves her defensive
ability.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills
The Hellenic sorceress’ class skills are
Appraise, Bluff, Concentration, Cra� (including
poisonmaking), Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal,
Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge
(geography), Knowledge (history), Knowledge
(local), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (nobility
and royalty), Knowledge (religion), Perform (sing),
Ride, and Sense Motive.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int
modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features for the
Hellenic sorceress.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Hellenic
sorceress is proficient in all simple weapons but not
with any armor or with shields.
Sorcerer Spellcasting: A Hellenic sorceress casts
like a standard sorcerer (arcane spells, Charisma-
based casting, spells known and spells per day
limitation, losing old spells, no preparation), except
as follows.
Custom Spell List: A sorceress’ spells are drawn
from a custom spell list (see below) rather than the
default sorcerer spell list.
No High-Level Spells: Because the level of magic
in the Greek myths (and thus an Argonauts
campaign) is weaker than your standard fantasy
campaign, the Hellenic sorceress spell list has no
spells above 5th-level. To offset this, the sorceress
has other special abilities that augment her
spellcasting (see below).
Versatile Slots: When a sorceress would
normally gain a new spell known of level 6, 7, 8,
or 9, she may instead use it for one of two things.
First, she may use it to learn a lower-level spell
 Chapter One: Characters

Table 2-1: The Hellenic Sorceress

Base
Attack Fort Ref Will —Spells per Day—
Level Bonus Save Save Save Special 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 New moon casting 5 3 — — — — — — — —
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 6 4 — — — — — — — —
3rd +1 +1 +1 +3 6 5 — — — — — — — —
4th +2 +1 +1 +4 Power focus 6 6 3 — — — — — — —
5th +2 +1 +1 +4 6 6 4 — — — — — — —
6th +3 +2 +2 +5 6 6 5 3 — — — — — —
7th +3 +2 +2 +5 6 6 6 4 — — — — — —
8th +4 +2 +2 +6 6 6 6 5 3 — — — — —
9th +4 +3 +3 +6 6 6 6 6 4 — — — — —
10th +5 +3 +3 +7 6 6 6 6 5 3 — — — —
11th +5 +3 +3 +7 6 6 6 6 6 4 — — — —
12th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 — — —
13th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 — — —
14th +7/+2 +4 +4 +9 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 — —
15th +7/+2 +5 +5 +9 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 — —
16th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 —
17th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 —
18th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3
19th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4
20th +10/+5 +6 +6 +12 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

Table 2-2: Hellenic Sorceress Spells Known on the Hellenic sorceress spell list. Second, she
—Spells Known— may apply a +1 modifier to the DC of one of her
Level 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th existing spells known.
1st 4 2 — — — — — — — — Evil Spells: A good sorceress cannot cast spells
2nd 5 2 — — — — — — — — with the Evil descriptor.
3rd 5 3 — — — — — — — — New Moon Casting: Starting at 1st level,
4th 6 3 1 — — — — — — — under a new moon, or aboveground when the sky
5th 6 4 2 — — — — — — — conditions obscure the light of the moon (such as
6th 7 4 2 1 — — — — — — heavy clouds), a Hellenic sorceress gets a +1 bonus
7th 7 5 3 2 — — — — — — to her Hellenic sorceress caster level.
8th 8 5 3 2 1 — — — — — Power Focus: At 4th level, the sorceress can
9th 8 5 4 3 2 — — — — — cra� a handheld power focus item such as a ring,
10th 9 5 4 3 2 1 — — — — scepter, graven stone, or wand (a short magical
11th 9 5 5 4 3 2 — — — — stick of wood, bone, or metal, not a spell trigger
12th 9 5 5 4 3 2 1* — — — item in the traditional game sense). She chooses
13th 9 5 5 4 4 3 2* — — — one spell she knows, and increases the DC of
14th 9 5 5 4 4 3 2* 1* — — that spell by +2 when using the item as a focus
15th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3* 2* — — component. At 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level she
16th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3* 2* 1* — chooses one other spell known to be augmented
17th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3* 3* 2* — this way using the same power focus. Cra�ing the
18th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3* 3* 2* 1* focus requires no gp, XP, or time, as it is assumed
19th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3* 3* 3* 2* she has been perfecting this item in her spare time.
20th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3* 3* 3* 3* However, if the focus is ever lost, broken, or stolen
* A Hellenic sorceress doesn’t gain spells known for she must spend 500 gp, 40 XP, and one day’s work
these spell levels but can use them for lower-level to replace it.
spells or to increase the DC of one of her existing spells Example: Circe is a 4th-level Hellenic sorceress
known (see the Versatile Slots ability). with 18 Charisma. She cra�ed an ivory wand to be
her power focus, choosing daze monster as the spell
to augment with the focus, increasing its DC from
16 to 18 (10 + 2 spell level + 4 Charisma modifier + 2

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 Chapter One: Characters
power focus) when she uses the wand as a focus for
that spell. At 8th-level she chooses baleful polymorph
as a spell known and as her new spell to augment
with her power focus, increasing its DC from 18 to
20 when she uses the wand as a focus for that spell.
Hellenic Sorceress Spell List:
0—daze, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound,
know direction, light, open/close, purify food and drink,
resistance.
1—calm animals, cause fear, charm animal, disguise
self*, disrupt undead, endure elements*, obscuring mist,
silent image.
2—darkness, daze monster, false life*, fog cloud, gust
of wind, lesser earthquake†, minor image, resist energy*,
scare, whispering wind.
3—deep slumber*, erase memories†, heroism, major
image, deathcloak†.
4—baleful polymorph*, bestow curse, control
weather*, crushing despair, dragon chariot†, fear, locate
creature, phantasmal killer, remove curse*, stoneskin*.
5—atonement, break enchantment, commune*, finger
of death*, hold monster, vitality of youth†.
† new spell (see the Magic chapter)
* spell is changed from its normal version (see
the Magic chapter)
Bloodlines
Most of the heroes of the Greek myths were
mortals descended from the gods. Some had
exceptional gi�s because of this divine ancestry
(such as Heracles’ incredible strength), others had
a talent for a particular thing (such as Asclepius’
skill with medicine), others were just lucky. In
an Argonauts campaign, these gi�s are called
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Behind the Curtain: The Hellenic Sorceress
After spending so much space explaining the lack of spellcasters in the
campaign, it may make you wonder why this class is even in the book. The
simple answer is that even though the Greek myths describe the exploits
of great warrior-heroes and explorers, sorceresses play a key role in two
of the best-known Greek tales: the Odyssey, with Circe as the witch who
transforms Odysseus’ crew, and the tale of the Argonauts, with Medea as the
witch whose magic drugs and herbs are the key to Jason winning the Golden
Fleece (and later the key to his ruin). Clearly the Greeks recognized the role
of magic in their myths and legends, but their bias toward males and warcraft
relegated magic’s role (outside of godly intervention) to that of a foil for the
heroes or someone to turn to only when all other things failed. The Hellenic
sorceress fits this role in an Argonauts campaign. It is quite possible to run
an entire Argonauts campaign without a spellcaster, but some campaigns
may require the services of one and in those cases the extreme power of a
cleric, druid, sorcerer, or wizard in a low-magic can throw the system out of
whack; the Hellenic sorceress limits the power and abilities of the spellcasting
class to something appropriate for a low-magic Argonauts campaign so the
DM doesn’t have to worry about a cone of cold wiping out all of the PCs and
breaking the feel of the campaign.
bloodlines, and those people with bloodlines are
called scions (these are game terms rather than
words the people in the campaign use to describe
these kinds of heroes).
Bloodlines come in three different power levels:
minor, lesser, and greater (scions with these
bloodlines are minor, lesser, and greater scions,
respectively). A typical Argonauts campaign
normally has lesser scion PCs, but a DM wanting
to bend the campaign’s low-magic framework
can use greater scions, while one wanting more
realistic campaign can opt to use minor scions (or
no scions at all).
Bloodlines derive from godly or titanic power,
and a scion’s choice of bloodline abilities depends
on which god or titan he is descended from. A
 Chapter One: Characters
character can only have one bloodline, regardless
of how many gods are in his ancestry; a descendant
of Zeus’s mortal son and Apollo’s mortal daughter
must choose which bloodline is stronger and pick
his bloodline abilities based on that choice (he can
still claim the other ancestor, but it has no effect on
his bloodline abilities). Scions are not just limited to
humans; a minotaur might be a scion of Poseidon,
and an exceptional horse might be a scion of one of
the Anemoi (wind gods).
Bloodlines abilities that refer to spells are spell-
like abilities unless otherwise stated. The caster
level of a bloodline is equal to the character level of
the scion.
Minor Bloodlines
Minor bloodlines are the weakest kind available
in an Argonauts campaign, enough to help
distinguish the PCs from the common folk but
nothing flashy. All minor bloodlines are presented
as a list of skills; a minor scion picks two skills
from his ancestor’s list and gets a +3 bonus to
both of those skills. The scion cannot choose
the same skill twice except in the case of skills
with subskills (such as Cra�, Knowledge, and
Perform), in which case the character can select
two different subskills (such as Knowledge
(nature) and Knowledge (religion)).
Anemoi (the Winds): Climb, Jump, Tumble
Aphrodite: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information
Apollo: Heal, Perform (lyre), Spot
Ares: Climb, Intimidate, Jump
Artemis: Climb, Jump, Survival
Athena: Diplomacy, Knowledge (any one), Spot
Demeter: Handle Animal, Knowledge (nature),
Survival
Bloodlines and Effective Character Level
An Argonauts campaign is a low-magic campaign, at least in terms of what
magic the PCs have at their disposal. Unlike a regular campaign, the heroes
don’t travel with flaming swords and fire-reflecting armor, though they still
may face creatures resistant to normal weapons or using fiery attacks.
Bloodlines help players compensate for the lack of magic in the hands of the
PCs. Because of this intentional compensation, a group of scions should all
begin play with the same level of bloodline (none, minor, lesser, or greater) so
parity between the PCs is maintained. In these circumstances, do not adjust
character ECL to compensate for the increase in power from a bloodline.
If for any reason some PCs are weaker scions than others, the characters
with a higher-level bloodline should get a +1 level adjustment to reflect
their greater power compared to the other characters. This modifier applies
whether the difference is between a lesser and greater scion or between a
minor and lesser scion. It is generally not a good idea to mix lesser or greater
scions with non-scion characters, or minor scions with greater scions, as the
difference in character power can seem unfair; if such a mix is necessary,
consider a way to compensate the weaker characters, such as giving them
a bonus feat or a +3 bonus to a skill of the player’s choice. Likewise, if using
bloodlines in a non-Argonauts campaign, be sure to adjust character ECL to
account for the increase in power from a bloodline.
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Dionysus: Gather Information, Perform (acting),
Sense Motive
Eos: Knowledge (nature), Spot, Survival
Eris: Bluff, Disguise, Intimidate
Eros: Diplomacy, Gather Information, Sense
Motive
Hades: Intimidate, Knowledge (religion), Sense
Motive
Hecate: Concentration, Intimidate, Knowledge
(history), Sense Motive
Helios: Handle Animal, Spot, Survival
Hephaestus: Appraise, Cra� (any one),
Knowledge (history)
Hera: Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate,
Hermes: Diplomacy, Knowledge (geography),
Move Silently, Perform (lyre)
Hestia: Diplomacy, Knowledge (religion), Sense
Motive
Iris: Diplomacy, Knowledge (geography), Sense
Motive
Muses: Bluff, Knowledge (history or local),
Perform (any one)
Nike: Jump, Knowledge (any one), Spot
Pan: Jump, Knowledge (nature), Perform (dance
or wind instruments), Survival
Poseidon: Knowledge (geography or nature),
Ride, Swim
Selene: Knowledge (history), Spot, Survival
Titan (any): Climb, Intimidate, Jump,
Knowledge (any one)
Zeus: Diplomacy, Knowledge (nature), Spot,
Survival
Lesser Bloodlines
Lesser bloodlines let PCs build characters with
physical or mental abilities beyond that of common
people without going outside the bounds of the low-
magic constraints of the se�ing. All lesser bloodlines
are presented as a list of ability scores; a lesser scion
picks one ability from his ancestor’s list and gains a
+2 bonus to that ability score. Note that many gods
have Constitution or Charisma as an option; this is
because the gods are immortal and may pass on a
limited form of that immortality to their offspring,
and most of the gods are quite beautiful, vain, and
confident, all traits which a scion might inherit.
Anemoi (the Winds): Dexterity, Constitution
Aphrodite: Constitution, Charisma
Apollo: Dexterity, Wisdom, Charisma
Ares: Strength, Constitution
Artemis: Dexterity, Constitution
Athena: Constitution, Wisdom, Charisma
Demeter: Constitution, Wisdom
Dionysus: Constitution, Charisma
Eos: Constitution, Charisma
 Chapter One: Characters
Eris: Dexterity, Constitution
Eros: Dexterity, Charisma
Hades: Constitution, Intelligence
Hecate: Intelligence, Charisma
Helios: Constitution, Charisma
Hephaestus: Constitution, Intelligence
Hera: Wisdom, Charisma
Hermes: Dexterity, Intelligence
Hestia: Constitution, Wisdom
Iris: Intelligence, Wisdom
Muses: Intelligence, Charisma
Nike: Strength, Constitution, Wisdom
Pan: Dexterity, Constitution
Poseidon: Strength, Constitution
Selene: Wisdom, Charisma
Titan (any): Strength, Constitution, Intelligence
Zeus: Strength, Constitution, Charisma
Greater Bloodlines
Greater bloodlines are the most powerful type
available in an Argonauts campaign, representing
actual magical manifestations of godly power.
As such, they slightly bend the rules of the low-
magic nature of the campaign—and don’t have
any precedent in the myths—but make the player
characters truly amazing in the sight of normal
people.
All greater bloodlines are presented as a choice
between a pair of options; the player chooses one
option at character creation and cannot change it
therea�er. Most are equivalent to a 2nd-level spell
effect, and those not actually derived from spells
are treated as 2nd-level spells for determinations
requiring an effective spell level. Saving throws
against bloodline effects are Charisma-based.
Caster level (if appropriate) for a greater bloodline
is equal to the scion’s character level.
In addition to this choice of a greater bloodline
ability, the character gains the effect of a lesser
bloodline of their ancestral deity (+2 bonus to one
ability score, selected from the list of appropriate
ability scores in the lesser bloodlines section).
Example: Carlos’ character Thyrsos is a scion
of Aphrodite. Wanting to play a character with
supernatural influence over other people, Carlos
chooses the charm person power instead of the
heroism ability, and can also choose a +2 bonus to
Constitution or Charisma as determined by the
lesser bloodline of Aphrodite.
Anemoi (the Winds): Gust of wind once per day
or extended expeditious retreat once per day.
Aphrodite: Extended charm person once per day
or heroism once per day.
Apollo: True strike (as a move equivalent action)
once per day or cure moderate wounds once per day.
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Ares: Ares’ rage once per day or ba�le aura once
per day. Ares’ Rage (Ex): You enter a rage similar
to barbarian rage, gaining a +2 morale bonus to
Strength and Constitution, a +1 morale bonus to
Will saves, and a -2 to penalty to AC. Activating
this ability is a free action and it lasts 1 round per
character level. Unlike barbarian rage, you are
not fatigued when you end your rage. Ba�le Aura
(Su): Once per day when in combat, your awesome
presence frightens enemies as if you were using a
cause fear spell. This can be activated as a free action
and affects 1 creature per character level.
Artemis: True strike (as a move equivalent action)
once per day or Artemis’ arrow once per day. Artemis’
Arrow (Su): A�er hi�ing a creature with a weapon,
you can choose to target it with a daze monster effect.
If you trigger this ability in conjunction with a bow
a�ack, the DC increases by +1.
Athena: Heroism once per day or a +1 dodge
bonus to armor class.
Demeter: Extended goodberry once per day or
barkskin (self only) once per day.
Dionysus: Daze monster once per day or Tas’
hideous laughter once per day.
Eos: Light at will or eagle’s splendor (self only)
once per day.
Eris: Betrayal once per day or Eris’ fury once per
day. Betrayal (Su): This heightened (to 2nd level)
and specialized form of lesser confusion causes the
target to a�ack an ally for 1 round. Eris’ Fury (Ex):
You or another willing creature enter a rage similar
to barbarian rage, gaining a +2 morale bonus to
Strength and Constitution, a +1 morale bonus to
Will saves, and a -2 to penalty to AC. Activating
this ability is a free action, requires a melee touch
a�ack if used on another creature, and it lasts 1
round per character level. Like barbarian rage, the
target is fatigued when the rage ends.
Eros: Extended charm person once per day or
touch of idiocy once per day.
Hades: Death knell once per day (can be activated
as a free action a�er you drop a creature) or ba�le
aura once per day. Ba�le Aura (Su): Once per day
when in combat, your awesome presence frightens
enemies as if you were using a cause fear spell.
This can be activated as a free action and affects 1
creature per character level.
Hecate: Fog cloud once per day or darkvision (self
only) once per day.
Helios: Daylight once per day or extended
expeditious retreat (self only) once per day.
Hephaestus: Extended magic weapon once per
day or heat metal once per day.
Hera: Detect thoughts once per day or sound burst
once per day.
 Chapter One: Characters
Hermes: Extended expeditious retreat (self only)
once per day or invisibility (self only) once per day.
Hestia: Aid once per day or sanctuary once per
day.
Iris: Blindness once per day or
whispering wind once per day.
Muses: Heroism once per day or
sound burst once per day.
Nike: Extended jump (self only)
once per day or Nike’s blessing (self
only) once per day. Nike’s Blessing
(Su): You gain a +1 insight bonus
to saves, a�ack rolls, ability checks,
and weapon damage rolls for 1
round/level.
Pan: Extended charm person once
per day or extended expeditious
retreat (self only) once per day.
Poseidon: Lesser earthquake†
once per day or blur (self only)
once per day (though rather than
being blurred, the character is surrounded by a
concealing mist of watery droplets with the same
effect as the spell).
Selene: Light at will or heightened (to 2nd level)
sleep once per day
Titan (any): Bear’s endurance (self only) once per
day or bull’s strength (self only) once per day.
Zeus: Heroism once per day or thundering smite
once per day. Thundering Smite (Su): A�er hi�ing a
creature (either before or a�er you roll damage), you
can choose to invoke the power of Zeus’ thunderbolt
upon your enemy. A blast of electricity and thunder
is channeled through your weapon to your enemy,
dealing +2d6 points of damage, half of which is
electricity and half sonic. Every third level (at levels
3, 6, 9, and so on) this damage increases by +1d6.
Equipment
An Argonauts campaign is much more primitive
technologically than a typical fantasy campaign,
and much of the equipment listed in the Player’s
Handbook is not available. In some cases this
limitation is because of technology (the Greeks
didn’t have crossbows). In others, it is because
the equipment is impractical in the Greek climate
(heavy armor is too cumbersome in hot weather,
for example), or simply doesn’t suit the tone of
the campaign (scythes and spiked chains don’t
really fit the feel of the Greek myths), whether for
technological or thematic reasons. For simplicity’s
sake, use the Player’s Handbook rules and prices for
items, even though Greece used its own coins and
in different values than the standard 1 gp = 10 sp =
100 gp ratio.
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The following equipment is available for
purchase available in an Argonauts campaign
(though some of it may not be useful in its
original context, such as a winter
blanket).
Weapons: Cestus (armored
gauntlet, with or without spikes)
club, dagger, dart, greatclub,
javelin, longsword, quarterstaff,
short bow (normal or composite,
with arrows), short sword, spear
(all standard varieties), sling,
trident. Masterwork weapons of
any of these types are available.
Armor: Leather, studded leather,
hide armor, scale mail, breastplate
(which is an armored chest plate,
armored metal skirt, and metal
greaves), buckler, light metal shield,
heavy metal shield. Masterwork
armor and shield of any of these
types are available.
Adventuring Equipment: Backpack, bedroll,
blanket, candle, crowbar, flask, flint and steel,
hammer, ink, jug, ladder, lamp, lock, manacles, map
or scroll case, mirror, oil, parchment, piton, pole,
pouch, portable ram, rations, rope (hemp or silk),
sack, signet ring, sledge, tent, torch, vial, waterskin.
Special Substances and Items: Acid, alchemist’s
fire, antitoxin, tanglefoot bag. (Though in reality
many of these items would be unavailable in historic
Greece, their presence here reflects the advanced
learning of the Greeks augmented by supernatural
alchemy and the influence of the gods on invention.)
Tool and Skill Kits: Alchemist’s lab, artisan’s
tools (common or masterwork), disguise kit
(common or masterwork), healer’s kit (common
or masterwork), holy symbol, musical instrument
(common or masterwork), thieves’ tools (common
or masterwork).
Clothing: Courtier’s outfit, entertainer’s
outfit, noble’s outfit, peasant’s outfit, royal outfit,
traveler’s outfit. (All of these are the ancient
Greek version of these types of clothing instead
of the medieval versions described in the Player’s
Handbook, of course.)
Food, Drink, and Lodging: All.
Mounts and Related Gear: Bit and bridle,
donkey or mule, feed, guard dog, horse (any kind,
including all kinds of ponies), saddle (pack only),
stabling.
Transport: Cart, rowboat, oar, sled, wagon.
Spellcasting and Services: Hireling (trained
or untrained), messenger, road or gate toll, ship’s
passage.
 Chapter 2: Variant Rules
This chapter explains some variant rules which are
appropriate for an Argonauts campaign.
Continuing Poison Damage
In the real world, when people are poisoned,
the effects of the poison continue for hours, and
some people linger for days before dying or
recovering. The game doesn’t reflect this, mainly
because it’s more convenient for DMs to get the
poison damage over and done with and not deal
with long-term bookkeeping. In a campaign
where magical healing is scarce, the modeling the
continuing effects of poison with game rules make
poison a more serious and long-term threat with a
small amount of extra work.
Variant Rule: Continuing Poison Damage
If a character fails a saving throw against a
poison’s initial or secondary damage, the poison
continues to deal damage over an extended
period of time. The poison’s effects continue for
a number of hours equal to the poison DC; if the
initial and secondary saving throws are failed, the
effects continue for twice this duration.
Every hour of the continuing effect, the
character must a�empt another saving throw
against the poison’s DC. Failure
means the character suffers the
poison’s secondary effects again,
but the damage is the minimum
possible for the poison. If the
poison has no secondary damage
(such as dragon bile), the poison
cannot deal continuing damage.
Example: Small centipede poison
is DC 11 and deals 1d2 Dex damage
for both its primary and secondary
effect. A character that fails either the
primary or secondary save against this
poison makes saving throws every hour for
11 hours and takes 1 point of Dex damage (the
minimum value for 1d2) each time one of these
saves is failed. A character that fails the primary
and secondary saves makes these saves every
hour for 22 hours (DC 11 x2).
The continuing poison effect is always of the
same type as the secondary damage, even if the
character saved against the secondary damage. If
the poison’s secondary effect deals multiple kinds
of ability damage (such as dark reaver powder),
the character takes the minimum damage for each
damage type dealt.
Example: Dark reaver powder’s secondary
damage deals 1d6 Con + 1d6 Str. A character that
fails to save against the initial or secondary effect
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of the poison suffers 1 point each of Con and Str
damage for each hourly saving throw failed until
the poison has run its course.
Poisons that cause unconsciousness as their
secondary damage can force a poisoned character
to remain unconscious through later saving
throws against continuing damage. This does
not cause automatic failures or give any sort
of penalty, though obviously it prevents the
character from taking action to help resist the
poison (such as the use of antitoxin or magic).
Delay poison suspends all of this continuing
damage for the duration of the spell, just as it
suspends initial and secondary damage.
Neutralize poison ends the cycle of continuing
damage (the character does not need to make any
more saving throws against the poison).
A character with the Heal skill can use it to
aid his own or another’s saving throws against
continuing poison damage just as it can help with
initial and secondary damage saves.
Donations and Intervention
In the heroic Greek myths, heroes and kings o�en
made sacrifices to the gods to gain good favor on
voyages, or were punished for
not making sacrifices at the
appropriate times. This idea
was common among the Greek
people at the time, and sacrifices
to the gods were a common
occurrence, whether as a part of a
feast, holy day, or celebration such
as a birth or a wedding. To reflect
this, the following system gives rules
for how to reward characters who make
sacrifices to the gods. It is designed so that
the sacrifices are inexpensive enough that
a typical peasant can be rewarded for a
minor sacrifice (even pouring out a cup of wine
to the gods may be enough), and the rewards are
minor but significant enough that it’s appealing to
heroes and commoners alike without ridiculous
effects (no unexpected heal spells out of the blue).
The costs are also balanced against the cost of
simply buying the effect in a standard campaign
(why spend 100 gold in sacrifices to gain a
cure light wounds when you can just purchase a
potion?).
Variant Rule: Donations and Intervention
Many deities are casually worshipped by the
people of the world just by making donations to
a temple or shrine of that deity. If the character
has recently (within the past week) donated to the
 Chapter Two: Variant Rules
church of a deity, and he is in a situation relevant
to the portfolio of that deity, the deity may
intervene in some small way to aid that character.
When the circumstances are appropriate, the
player should point out the situation to the DM,
and if the DM agrees, an intervention roll is made.
The chance of a minor intervention is equal to
1% x the number of silver pieces donated by the
character to that faith in the past week. If the roll
is a success, the character immediately benefits
from a guidance, resistance, or virtue orison (which
may reverse a just-failed check or saving throw if
the player remembers to suggest the intervention
a�er the roll is made). If the intervention d%
roll fails, the character receives no intervention
and receives no other chances for intervention
from that deity until another donation is made.
Sacrifices in excess of 100 sp have no effect
(donations only count toward the next possible
intervention, and it’s not possible to “pay ahead”
for more than one intervention).
Should a number of people make a donation
as a group, any one of the group can call for an
intervention based on the total donation; failure
means that no other rolls for intervention based
on that donation can be made.
One could argue that the gods have no
interest in money. Not true. Their temples need
maintenance (and new temples need to be built),
guards need to be paid, priests need to be fed and
clothed, and so on. Gods themselves may need no
money, but to accomplish their goals in the world
it helps to have gold.
Money is not the only sort of appropriate
donation. Goods (including food for the priests or
to be given to the needy), items of significance to
the church or temple (such as remains of a long-
dead hero, or a religious relic, or even church-
created magic items), and services (from repairing
an old church’s window to digging a garden for
a monastery) are all appropriate donations, and
should have their value converted to silvers for
the purpose of figuring the intervention chance
(based on a common laborer’s daily wage of 1
silver piece or other hireling wages). Sacrifices
are also a suitable form of donation (the act of
worship in animal sacrifice enhances the taste of
ambrosia and nectar, the food of the gods), with
the animal’s cost in silver pieces counting as a
donation to the deity. Treasure items and other
valuables (or even food in poorer areas) are also
acceptable sacrifices, and are usually burned,
thrown into the sea, or some other method where
the mortal loses the item and the gods can claim
it; no priest is needed for this form of sacrifice.
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In Greek culture, animals of high quality are
prized as sacrifices, with perfect animal specimens
(such as a snow-white calf or sheep) valued
even higher. Some deities have preferences for
certain animals (Zeus and Poseidon favor bulls,
for example); these kinds of sacrifices can count
up to 150% of the animal’s normal cost. Human
sacrifices are abhorrent to the gods and are more
likely to bring curses or permanent bad luck
rather than any favorable intervention.
Example: Xanthos steps between an angry hydra
and his unconscious ally Anaxis, making sure that
beast doesn’t carry away his fallen friend for a
meal. The hydra a�acks Xanthos and reduces him
to 0 hit points. Xanthos’ player James reminds the
DM that Xanthos sacrificed a sheep (worth 2 gp,
or 20 sp) to Athena (who represents protection
and tactics in war) yesterday, and asks for an
intervention roll, as he is acting as a protector
for his fallen friend. The DM agrees that this is
an appropriate circumstance for an intervention
by Athena, rolls percentile dice, and gets a 19
... success! The goddess intervenes by targeting
Xanthos with a virtue spell, bringing him to 1 hp.
Xanthos is able to a�ack the hydra and cut off
its head on his turn (mu�ering a quick prayer of
thanks to Athena for giving him the foresight to
learn Improved Sunder). Without the intervention
of the virtue spell, Xanthos would have been at 0
hit points (disabled) when he a�acked the hydra
and would have dropped to -1 hit points for
performing a strenuous action while disabled,
pu�ing himself and Anaxis at the mercy of the
hydra if he failed.
Example: Zale and the other New Argonauts
are ba�ling thunderbolt-hurling Cyclopes. One
Cyclops strikes Zale with a thunderbolt, and he
misses his saving throw by 1 point. Zale’s player
Brian knows his character will die if he takes
full damage, so he reminds the DM that before
they le� Aea, capitol of Colchis, Zale spent a
week guarding Zeus’ temple for week while its
champion was away on a quest (the DM had
earlier agreed that this counted as a donation, and
priced it based on the daily wage of a “mercenary
leader,” so 6 silver pieces per day times 7 days is
42 sp). Zale’s player feels that the god of lightning
might intervene to save him from a death by a
thunderbolt, and the DM agrees that it might
work. The DM rolls percentile, gets a 25 (success!)
and retroactively applies a +1 resistance bonus to
Zale’s save from a resistance orison granted by the
intervention. Zale makes his saving throw, takes
half damage, and is able to go on fighting.
 Chapter Two: Variant Rules
Slower Dying
One of the problems with the current system of
death & dying rules is that dying
characters tend to become dead
far too easily. With just a 10%
chance to stabilize each round, a
character brought to -1 hit points
has about a 60% chance to stabilize
(nine rounds at 10% chance per
round is just over 61% chance
overall). That means that 40%
of the people injured to the point
of unconsciousness die — and
do so within one minute of their
injuries. From real-world experience
(even predating modern medical
technology) we know that isn’t the
case. The variant rule below allows
characters a be�er chance to survive
injuries, which is particularly important
in an Argonauts campaign where
healing magic is much rarer than a
standard game.
Variant Rule: Slower Dying
When a character’s hit points fall to -1
or below, he is dying. He immediately
falls unconscious and can take no
actions.
On the character’s next turn, roll d% to see
whether he becomes stable. He has a 10% chance
to become stable. If he doesn’t, he loses 1 hit point.
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If the character’s negative hit points ever drop
to his Constitution score or lower, he no longer has
a chance to stabilize each round and
automatically loses 1 hit point per
round. For example, a character
with a 10 Constitution brought to
-10 hit points can no longer try to
stabilize and automatically loses 1
hit point per round.
If the character’s negative hit
points ever reach his Constitution
score plus ten (or more), he’s dead.
For example, the Con 10 character
dies automatically a�er reaching
–20 hit points (Con 10 + 10) or
lower.
You can keep a dying character from
losing any more hit points and make
him stable with a successful Heal
check (DC 15).
If any sort of healing cures the dying
character of even 1 point of damage,
he stops losing hit points and
becomes stable.
Healing that raises the dying
character’s hit points to 0 makes him
conscious and disabled. Healing
that raises his hit points to 1 or more
makes him fully functional again,
just as if he’d never been reduced to 0 or less. A
spellcaster retains the spellcasting capability she
had before dropping below 0 hit points.
 Chapter 3: Magic
This chapter describes the new magic spells and
items available in an Argonauts campaign, as well
as those which are modified from the core rules for
use in this campaign.
New and Modified Spells
The following spells are new, or modified from the
Player’s Handbook to make them more appropriate
for the style and tone of an Argonauts campaign.
Baleful Polymorph
Transmutation
Level: Hellenic sorceress 4
Components: V, S, M
In an Argonauts campaign, this spell can also
transform the target into a 2 HD animal such as a
pig or goat, and the target always retains his own
mind.
A Hellenic sorceress can choose to use a special
drug in preparation for casting this spell, feeding
it to a potential target (either in his food or drink)
up to an hour before casting this spell. When used
this way, the drug gives the target a -4 penalty to
his saving throw against the spell. She can add
multiple doses to a common source of food (such
as a cooking pot) to drug multiple creatures at
once (though each target still requires a separate
casting of the spell).
Arcane Material Component: The (optional) drug
worth 50 gp.
Control Weather
Transmutation
Level: Hellenic sorceress 4
In an Argonauts campaign, this spell is much
weaker than the standard version; it cannot create
tornadoes, torrential rain, hailstorms, blizzards, or
hurricane-force winds. Most sorceresses use it to
gather thick clouds to hide the moon and activate
their new moon casting class ability.
Commune
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Hellenic sorceress 5
Components: V, S, M, XP
In an Argonauts campaign, this spell works
slightly differently than the standard version. It
can be cast within or near the underworld (such as
the caves in Colchis that lead to Hades’ realm). The
spell lures the ghosts of dead people to the caster’s
location with a libation of milk, honey, sweet wine,
water, and barley-meal, followed by a sacrifice of a
calfless heifer, a choice black ram, and a black ewe.
Gratified by these offerings, the spirits answer the
caster’s questions according to the normal version
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of the spell (drawing on greater knowledge than
they knew as living individuals), then return to the
underworld. Hades dislikes the dead leaving his
realm, and this spell is a violation of the natural
order, which is why it has the evil designator.
Arcane Material Component: The additional
material components for this spell cost 17 gp, 2 sp,
and 2 cp.
Deathcloak
Transmutation [Evil]
Level: Hellenic sorceress 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Target: Cloak or other piece of clothing touched
Duration: 1 hour/level or until discharged (see text)
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell Resistance: Yes
You imbue a cloak, cape, gown, shirt, or other
piece of clothing with a magical trap so that it
bursts into flames as soon as it is put on, igniting
the target as if he were doused with alchemist’s
fire (1d6 fire damage per round), although once
the deathcloak ignites it cannot be extinguished
(without using magic) until a number of rounds
equal to your caster level has passed.
The cursed cloth sticks to the target and cannot be
removed unless he succeeds at a Strength check (DC
equal to the spell’s saving throw DC). Removing
the cloth means the flames can be extinguished
normally, and ends all magic in the cloak.
Any creature that tries to help extinguish the
flames on the target while the cloth is still worn is
immediately affected as if doused with alchemist’s
fire (which can be extinguished normally).
Creatures other than the target can a�empt to
remove the cloak from him, though the a�empt
also ignites them as with alchemist’s fire.
Material Components: Rare herbs and exotic
drugs worth 100 gp.
Deep Slumber
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Hellenic sorceress 3
Components: V, S, M
In an Argonauts campaign, this spell requires
an ointment made of a rare herbal mixture, which
must be touched to the target (a touch a�ack).
Material Component: The ointment (worth 50 gp).
Disguise Self
Transmutation
Level: Hellenic sorceress 1
Components: V, S, M
 Chapter Three: Magic

Casting Time: 1 minute and so on) but not his personal history (including
Duration: 1 hour/level friends, family, or enemies), homeland, or goals.
This spell functions as the standard disguise self Material Components: A mixture of herbs worth
spell, except as noted here. It is a transmutation 10 gp, which must be fed to the target within one
spell because it is an actual physical transformation hour of casting this spell.
rather than an illusory one.
Material Component: An ointment applied to the False Life
face (worth 10 gp). Necromancy
Level: Hellenic sorceress 2
Dragon Chariot Components: V, S, M
Transmutation In an Argonauts campaign, this spell requires an
Level: Hellenic sorceress 4 ointment made of a rare herbal mixture, which you
Components: V, S must rub on your skin before casting the spell.
Casting Time: 1 action Material Component: The ointment (worth 10 gp).
Range: Close (25 �. + 5 �./2 levels)
Effect: One dragon-drawn flying chariot Finger of Death
Duration: 1 hour/level (D) Necromancy [Death]
Saving Throw: None Level: Hellenic sorceress 5
Spell Resistance: No Casting Time: 1 minute
You send out a magical call to a magical chariot Range: Long (400 �. + 10 �./level)
drawn by flying dragons, which arrives out of the Target: One living creature (see text)
sky 1d4 rounds a�er you cast this spell. The chariot This spell functions as the standard finger
can only carry one Medium of death spell, except as noted here.
creature, and only you can Rather than a direct and
ride it. The dragons can instantaneous a�ack, this
pull the chariot as if you version of the spell guides
were under the effects the spirits of death to the
of an overland flight target, who suffers an
spell. The dragons have unfortunate accident or
the same statistics as injury within 1d4 rounds,
Aeetes’ dragon (see the causing them to bleed
Monsters chapter) except to death (losing 5 hit
they can fly at 60 �. points per round, which
(good maneuverability). can only be stopped with
The dragons do not a�ack magical healing or a DC 30
even if they are a�acked, Heal check).
preferring to flee (dragging Because this form of the spell
you and the chariot with them) causes the target to bleed to
if severely wounded. death, it can affect nonliving
creatures that are vulnerable to
Erase Memories bleeding wounds, such as Talos
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind- (see the Monsters chapter).
Affecting]
Level: Hellenic sorceress 3 Lesser Earthquake
Components: V, S, M Transmutation
Casting Time: 1 standard action Level: Hellenic sorceress 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Range: Touch Components: V, S
Target: Creature touched Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 1 hour/level Range: Close (25 �. + 5 �./2 levels)
Saving Throw: Will negates Area: Cone
Spell Resistance: Yes Duration: Instantaneous
You cloud the target’s mind, temporarily Saving Throw: None (see text)
blocking access to most of his memories. He Spell Resistance: Yes
remembers his name and all of his personal You cause the earth within the area to shake like
abilities (skills, feats, class abilities, languages, an earthquake, which acts as a trip a�ack against

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 Chapter Three: Magic

all creatures in the area. This trip-like a�ack is Spell Resistance: No

not subject to the size limitations of a normal trip You imbue a cauldron with the power to make
a�ack. Creatures in the area make individual one creature young again. Once the spell is cast,
opposed Strength or Dexterity checks against your the cauldron retains its power for up to one hour.
roll of 1d20+5. Those who fail are tripped and fall To draw on the cauldron’s power, you or another
prone, those who succeed are unaffected. Creatures person must cut the throat of the person to be
that are not tripped cannot a�empt to trip you in made young and make them drink from the
return. You cannot use Improved Trip or similar cauldron (this also heals the neck wound). The
feats in conjunction with this spell. The spell only creature is immediately restored to their physical
affects creatures in contact with the affected area prime, which for humans is normally somewhere
(for example, a standing or climbing creature is around age 25. The creature loses all current
affected, while a flying creature is not). Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution penalties
from ageing but accrues later ageing penalties
Remove Curse normally.
Abjuration The spell does not actually extend the creature’s
Level: Hellenic sorceress 4 lifespan. He dies according to his original
Casting Time: 1 hour maximum age, even if he still looks young and
Components: V, S, M even if that means he dies a ma�er of months a�er
This spell functions as the standard remove curse regaining his youth with this spell.
spell, except as noted here. Material Component: Exotic ingredients worth
Material Component: Burning incense (1 gp) and a 1,000 gp.
sacrifice of a pure white lamb (2 gp).
New Magic Items
Resist Energy The following new magic items are available in a
Abjuration New Argonauts campaign.
Level: Hellenic sorceress 2 Some of the items below are given alternate
Casting Time: 1 minute creation prerequisites for the low-magic se�ing;
Components: V, S, M these are listed in parentheses a�er the standard
Duration: 1 hour/level prerequisites. Using the low-magic prerequisites
This spell functions as the standard resist energy requires the normal time and XP investment
spell, except as noted here. but no gp expense unless it’s listed as one of the
Material Component: An ointment of rare herbs prerequisites.
(worth 25 gp) which must be rubbed on the target’s Boar’s Brew: This potent ale has three doses.
flesh. A character can drink one dose for the effects
of a potion of cure light wounds (1d8+1), two for a
Stoneskin potion of cure moderate wounds (2d8+3), or three
Abjuration for a potion of cure serious wounds (3d8+5). Any
Level: Hellenic sorceress 4 remaining doses function normally (so a�er
Casting Time: 1 minute drinking one dose for a cure light wounds the
Duration: 1 hour/level remaining doses can still be combined for a cure
This spell functions as the standard stoneskin moderate wounds or used separately as two cure
spell, except as noted here. light wounds potions).
Material Component: An ointment of rare potent Faint conjuration; CL 5th; Brew Potion, cure
herbs (worth 500 gp) which must be rubbed on the serious wounds (or Hellenic Alchemy†, Calydonian
target’s flesh. boar’s bones, Alchemy 5 ranks); Price 760 gp.
(Note: Using Hellenic Alchemy† and one set of
Vitality of Youth Calydonian boar’s bones yields five flasks of boar’s
Conjuration (Healing) brew, though the creator doesn’t need to create all
Level: Hellenic sorceress 5 five at once.)
Components: V, S, M Boar Soldier Tooth: This magical boar’s tooth
Casting Time: 8 hours must be planted in the ground to activate its
Range: Touch power. One round a�er planting a tooth, a boar
Target: Cauldron touched tooth soldier (see Chapter 9: Monsters) springs
Duration: Instantaneous up from the earth at that location. This soldier is
Saving Throw: None u�erly loyal to the person who planted it, willing

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 Chapter Three: Magic
even to sacrifice his life for his commander. The
soldier does not affect the commander’s ability to
acquire followers or cohorts. He is not a magical
creature and never reverts back to his toothy
origins, even if slain. Boar soldier teeth are usually
found in groups of four, though the cra�ing
process only creates one at a time.
Faint transmutation; CL 15th, Cra� Wondrous
Item, polymorph any object (or Hellenic Alchemy†,
Calydonian or Erymanthian boar tooth); 250 gp;
Weight —.
Golden Fleece: Made from the skin of a golden
flying ram sent by the gods, the Golden Fleece has
miraculous healing powers. Five times per day, as
a free action once per round, a person wearing or
touching the Golden Fleece can activate it to heal
himself 10 points of damage. It also can be used
to neutralize poison or remove disease as a standard
action, though each use of these other powers
counts towards the Golden Fleece’s daily uses of
its healing power. If worn, the Golden Fleece uses
the cloak magic item space.
Moderate conjuration; CL 13th, Cra� Wondrous
Item, neutralize poison, regenerate, remove disease
(or Hellenic Alchemy†, one fleece from a golden
flying ram skin, Cra� (leatherworking) 5 ranks);
25,000 gp; Weight 5 lb.
Hydra Bloodpoison: This thick red paste looks
like congealed blood. If applied to a weapon it
is a deadly poison (2d6 initial and secondary
Constitution damage, Fortitude DC 17 negates).
Moderate necromancy; CL 13th, Cra�
Wondrous Item, Empower Spell, Heighten Spell,
poison (or Hellenic Alchemy†, eight ounces of
poisonous hydra blood taken from the creature’s
heart); 3,000 gp; Weight —.
Hydra Skin Cloak: This leather cloak is made
of gray-brown, dark brown, or tan reptilian
hide. Five times per day, as a free action once per
round, the wearer can activate the cloak to heal
himself 5 points of damage.
Moderate conjuration; CL 13th, Cra� Wondrous
Item, regenerate (or Hellenic Alchemy†, one hydra
skin, Cra� (leatherworking) 5 ranks); 6,000 gp;
Weight 1 lb.
Hydra Heart: This date-sized piece of jerky
looks like the shrunken heart of a large animal.
A character who eats it (a full-round action that
provokes an a�ack of opportunity as if drinking a
potion) gains the effects of a heal spell.
Moderate conjuration; CL 11th, Cra� Wondrous
Item, heal (or Hellenic Alchemy†, one hydra heart,
Cra� (meat jerking) 5 ranks); 6,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
Medea’s Impervious Ointment: This ointment is
best known from the story of the Argonauts, where
Medea gives Jason a magical ointment to make him
fireproof and immune to iron so he could plough
a field with Aeetes’ fire-breathing bulls and sow
a crop of dragon’s teeth. When used, it protects a
creature from most weapons (DR 10/adamantine)
and fire (fire resistance 20) for seven hours.
Faint abjuration; CL 7th, Cra� Wondrous Item,
resist energy, stoneskin (or Hellenic Alchemy†
and the hide of a Cretan bull, Ethiopian bull,
minotaur, or a prize bull descended from the
Cretan bull); Price 2,975 gp; Cost 1,750 gp + 98 XP;
Weight —. (Note: A Hellenic sorceress† can use
Hellenic Alchemy†, resist energy, and stoneskin to
create this item, in which case she does not need
the mythical creature component but still must
provide the expensive material components for
the spells, totaling 525 gp.)
Moly Elixir: Moly is a magical herb with
black roots and white flowers, and no mortal
has the strength to pull it from the ground. But
from time to time the gods pluck moly from the
ground and give it to mortals, and it can be used
to make a potent elixir. When drank or rubbed on
a creature’s skin, it provides a +8 resistance bonus
to saves against spells and spell-like abilities for
three hours. It can also be split into three doses,
each lasting an hour.
Strong abjuration; CL 18th, Cra� Wondrous
Item, protection from spells (or Hellenic Alchemy†,
moly herb); 2,000 gp; Weight —.
Thunderbolt: This javelin-sized bolt of
electricity is solid and can be grasped and thrown
just as a normal javelin. If thrown, it automatically
hits (no a�ack roll is required) and deals 5d6 hit
points of electricity damage to the target (Reflex
DC 14 negates). It is consumed in the a�ack. Any
creature other than a god, titan, or cyclops who
tries to grab a thunderbolt must make a saving
throw (Fortitude DC 15) or grab it in the wrong
place, triggering its full effects upon them (though
they still get a Reflex saving throw). A scion of
Zeus gets a +5 bonus to the Fortitude save to
safely grasp a thunderbolt.
Faint evocation; CL 5th, Cra� Magic Arms and
Armor, lightning bolt; 500 gp; Weight 2 lb.
Thunderbolt, Greater: This functions just like
a normal thunderbolt, except it deals 10d6 hit
points of electricity damage and the saving throw
to safely grasp one is DC 20.
Faint evocation; CL 10th, Cra� Magic Arms and
Armor, lightning bolt; 1,000 gp; Weight 2 lb.
 Chapter 4: Culture
Greek culture grew out of elements of nearby
civilizations but developed its own distinct
identity. This chapter describes the role of
women, foreigners, and slaves in Greek society,
as well as their views on wealth, marriage, work,
religion, and recreation, and the surprising lack of
differences between the various city-states.
The City-States
The ancient Greeks were never united under one
king but they shared a common language and
culture. Athenians were remarkably similar to
Thebans, Corinthians, Lapiths, Minoans, and so
on (though Spartans were different, see the Sparta
sidebar)—at least for the purpose of this book. The
Greek myths focused on the heroes, the gods,
and the strange creatures they met along the way;
the slight cultural differences between different
groups of mortals were insignificant to the story.
Everything described in this book should be
assumed to apply to all parts of Greece. If you want
a more in-depth analysis of the differences between
the city-states there are many historical reference
books out there, but that’s beyond the scope of this
campaign book, the purpose of which is to provide
a background for fantasy adventures in the style of
the Greek myths.
You can start an Argonauts campaign just
about anywhere in Greece (and given that a�er
the colonization efforts of the Archaic Age there
Sparta: A Different Greek City-State
Though most Greek city-states were similar, Sparta is remarkably different
and deserves more detail to explain those differences. Unlike the other
Greek states, Sparta had a large subject population, a group legally inferior
to Greeks. Called helots, these state-owned slaves probably were the
indigenous folk of that part of Greece, conquered centuries earlier by invaders
but never actually assimilated into the population. The helots outnumbered
the Spartans, so to prevent any sort of rebellion the Spartans developed a
strong military structure for their citizens, training all of them in war on the
chance that the untrained helots might rise up. From age seven onward
children were raised by the state in military fashion. Barrack housing was
the norm for men, men and women were given roughly equal education, and
women could own property and marry who they wanted. Every adult Spartan
male was assigned a piece of property and helots to work it, freeing him
from the need to work and allowing him to focus entirely on the military life.
Money was banned, and Spartans were not allowed to participate in crafting
or business as it was feared these things would create a desire for riches,
distracting the citizen from the desired total commitment to the city-state; as
in other city-states, it was the slaves (in this case, helots) who crafted the
materials needed to function as a civilized society.
In some ways the Spartan state was the world’s first known effort at
communism, but their arts suffered because the state felt artistic endeavors
promoted individualism, independent thought, and even criticism of the
government. Sparta’s strangeness made it difficult for them to have
mercantile ties with other city-states (all trade had to be through goods-
bartering rather than money for goods), which also contributed to its cultural
stagnation. Nevertheless, the Spartan military structure meant they were
very good at warfare and its neighbors rightfully feared when the Spartan
army was on the move.
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were over 1,500 city-states of various sizes all over
the peninsula and on the shores of the Aegean,
you can pick a spot and truly make it your own).
No ma�er where you start the campaign, you can
assume the following common cultural themes:
City-states have a simple democratic government
led by a member of the aristocracy (usually a king)
who is the face of the empowered citizens rather
than an autocrat with full control. They have a
strong military presence whose main purpose is
protecting the state from a�ack by foreigners and
rival city-states. People from other city-states are
tolerated if allies and a�acked if enemies. Alliances
can change quickly and old grudges tend to linger.
Travel for citizens is open and mercenaries are not
uncommon. Each city-state tends to honor one god
above the others, but all gods are to be respected
lest they become angry. Non-Greeks are primitive
barbarians and should only be tolerated while they
remain amusing and useful.
Wealth
With the advent of the polis (the precursor to the
city-state), the citizens looked at wealth with an
eye for how it could improve the community,
not just enrich an individual. Those who had
money were expected to spend it on things that
everyone could enjoy or benefit from. Banquets
and liturgies were common, and also gave the
person responsible the opportunity to interact
with the other people and gain recognition
for the provided service. Others sponsored
the construction of new public buildings
(particularly gymnasiums, which promoted other
community activities) or the maintenance of city
warships. Refusal to perform such works gave
the impression that the citizen was unwilling
to pull his weight in the community, and could
eventually lead to ostracism. This is not to say
that the wealthy did not dress be�er, wear jewelry,
and eat be�er than those less fortunate, but those
who only did those things and didn’t invest in the
community were seen as selfish and unpatriotic
(just as avoiding other duties, such as jury service
or military obligations, would bring questions
about a person’s worth).
The typical Greek led a very plain life. Meals
were simple. Clothes were simple and durable,
and were passed down to the next generation
when the previous owner died. Houses were
plain and functional. This plain living made the
Greeks look forward to their leisure activities, with
athletic contests bringing a dose of excitement and
free banquets from the affluent members of the
community whe�ing the appetite for success.
 Chapter Four: Culture
Women
The role of women changed over the course of
the ancient Greek period. In the
time of the epics, women were
valued members of society and
considered fully capable. For
example, when Odysseus le� for
Troy he was confident that his
wife Penelope would be able to
take care of things even though
he expected to be gone for some
time. The women of this period are
strong and have incredible influence
over their homes. However, they
were still considered secondary to
men; women were married off to
make alliances with other families
and were taken home as prizes in
war. The Greeks also had a double
standard about fidelity; the married
warriors frequently had mistresses,
even as they ba�led Troy because of
the infidelity of Helen, an affront to
her husband.
With the rise of the polis, the
role of Greek women decreased,
particularly that of upper-class
women. Public meetings became
a male task and a woman’s place
was running the home or dealing
with home-related tasks such as
going to market or certain aspects of
religious gatherings. Women became
less visible as a part of society,
though never ostracized or fully
excluded as they are in some modern
fundamentalist cultures. Even
under these circumstances, women
still retained much power in the
household; men may have made the
rules for the society, but the women
of the community made sure they were obeyed
by using their power within the home. Much of a
wife’s power derived from the income generated
by her dowry; as she belonged to her husband’s
household and that of her parents (and drew power
and influence from both), if she didn’t like how her
husband managed things or disagreed with his
actions she could return to her parents’ home and
bring her dowry with her. As the dowry was o�en
crucial to the success and survival of the household,
this was a serious threat and most men knew not to
push their wives too far. Of course, a woman with
a smaller dowry had less to back up her threat and
thus had less power over her husband.
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
Marriage and Children
In ancient Greece, marriages were arranged. The
arrangements might take place
when one or both participants
were very young (as young as 5 in
at least one case, though the girl
in question was an orphan and
therefore a special circumstance)
even if the wedding wasn’t to take
place until years later. Men usually
married around age 30, women in
their late teens. Because of these age
differences and the separation of the
male and female public worlds, the
prospective spouses rarely had the
opportunity to interact, so modern
courtship was all but nonexistent. It
was expected that affection between
spouses would develop a�er they
were married. Marriages were
therefore done out of political or
military interests rather than love,
with brides offered to men of power
to gain influence or allies.
Not all marriages worked out.
Either couple had the right to
initiate a divorce, and the husband
was responsible for providing for
his children a�erwards (the wife
normally returned to her family,
possibly in search of another
marriage). Adultery wasn’t illegal,
but it was considered an affront to
the household and by extension to
the polis. Upon discovering adultery,
a husband was expected to divorce
his wife else he be suspected of
colluding in the adultery. If he caught
his wife in the act, the husband could
legally kill the other man on the spot
or drag him to a court to be tried
Amazons and Barbarians: Female PCs
While your typical mythic Greek story focused on male heroes, heroic
females were not entirely unknown. Atalanta was the fastest runner in Greece
and a great hunter as well; she helped defeat the Calydonian boar. Hippolyta,
Queen of the Amazons, was the leader of a warlike people greatly feared for
their wildness and fury. Just because classical Greek society had females in
an inferior position is no reason to exclude female PCs, though many people
will be doubtful or even resentful of a powerful female hero (for example, the
males involved in the Calydonian boar hunt complained about hunting with
a “girl,” though they had to accept her when the local prince insisted that
any “girl” who could outrun them all deserved to be there). An easy way to
justify having a female PC in a male-centric Argonauts campaign is to have
her be an Amazon, a follower of a deity such as Artemis, Athena, or Hecate,
or simply a woman from a “barbarian” culture whose ways are different than
those of the Greeks.
 Chapter Four: Culture
and executed by the government. An adulteress
was therea�er excluded from participating in public
religious events, which severely curtailed her ability
to socialize with her peers.
As was common for the time period, infant
mortality was high, and couples normally had to
deal with the loss of multiple infants (especially in
the vulnerable years before age 5) over the course
of a marriage. Having children was necessary in
this society, not a choice, as the income from adult
children was needed to support the parents in
their old age (and in Athens and some other cities,
parents could legally compel their children to give
such support). It was an acceptable practice to
expose unwanted infants before the family became
accustomed to them; sons might be exposed if the
family already had another son and feared spli�ing
the family property, daughters might be exposed
if the parents didn’t want to deal with providing
another dowry. Exposure usually entailed leaving
the child outside in a clay pot, which could
also serve as its coffin; some people stole these
exposed infants, raised them, and sold them as
slaves. Several myths have protagonists who were
exposed as infants, though usually out of political
expediency rather than financial interests.
Foreigners
With an economy partly based on trade with
foreign countries, there was an inevitable presence
of foreigners in any Greek city of significant size.
Given the divisive nature of the Greek people,
a “foreigner” in this context could even mean
Greek Geography
Greece is blessed with a Mediterranean climate. Its winters are cool, if wet,
and the summers tend to be hot and dry. The climate suits the growing
of grapes and olives (so wine and olive oil play a significant role in Greek
commerce). The warm climate meant the ancient Greeks could get by with
simple loose clothing, and men—particularly laborers—often went naked.
Though most people think of Greece as the modern peninsula, because
of Greek colonization there were Greek settlements all over the Aegean
Sea, which meant that Greece was more like a landbound country with a
large lake in its center. In fact, the omnipresent Aegean means that no part
of mainland Greece is more than 35 miles from the sea, and even those
crossing the Aegean were never out of sight of some kind of land, whether a
great mountaintop or some island peeking above the horizon. Certainly the
sea plays a significant role in the life of the ancient Greeks, with trade from
the west and east coming by sea, fishing providing food to the Greek people,
and boating being a rapid form of travel to most major cities.
Though the sea dominates much of Greece’s geography, the land is
varied and divisive. Bays and gulfs separate coastal communities from
each other, and some are on islands and completely cut off from land trade.
Mountains come between the various cities, and mountain valleys keep apart
those settlements sharing a particular mountain. These geographical barriers
encouraged each community to see itself as independent rather than part
of a larger country, and contributed greatly to the evolution of Greece as a
collection of city-states rather than a unified nation like its neighbors such as
Egypt and Syria.
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
someone from a neighboring city-state. The
development of the polis tainted the public’s view
toward foreigners; a foreigner wasn’t a citizen and
didn’t have a vested interest in the strength of the
community. They felt no obligation to invest their
money toward the be�erment of the community as
a true citizen would. Because all citizens derived
some measure of reward from the money going
into the polis, foreigners were seen as reducing the
amount of that money that continued to circulate
within the community. Many city-states had higher
taxes for foreigners to make up for this “loss,” but
foreigners could eventually become citizens a�er
living there long enough and by proving their
desire to contribute to the polis. Of course, people
were more than happy to receive money and goods
from visiting foreigners; overall their contribution
toward the polis was greater in the short term than
what they took from it.
It is worth pointing out that the modern words
“barbarous” and “barbarian” come from a Greek
word meaning “foreigner, rude, or ignorant,”
which says a lot about what the ancient Greeks felt
about non-Greeks (the Greek word actually derives
from “bar bar,” a derisive term the Greeks used to
imitate the muddled speech of non-Greeks).
Slaves
Many Greek cities had slaves, most of them owned
by private citizens (Sparta was an exception; see
the Sparta sidebar). Most slaves were taken from
enemy cities during warfare or were sold into
slavery as children rather than taken in raids
from unsuspecting se�lements. Slavery in ancient
Greece wasn’t like in the American South before
the Civil War; rather than large plantations with
many slaves overseen by their owner, it operated
on a smaller scale, and if a farmer owned a slave
then he and the slave worked side by side in the
field. Excess household slaves were o�en rented
out to other households as workers. Slaves were
allowed to keep a portion of their earnings and (if
lucky) could eventually save up enough to buy
their freedom. Most slaves were generalist laborers,
completing different tasks during the day, rather
than repeating the same simple task over and
over. Many were cra�smen working on all aspects
of creating goods (po�ery, shoes, furniture, cart
wheels, and so on), and (as most slaves were taken
as trained adults during war) their goods were no
different than those created by a free person.
Work
Ninety percent of the Greek peasantry performed
agricultural work, tending small farms their
 Chapter Four: Culture
families had owned for generations. This meant
they were very busy in some seasons but had a
lot of free time in others. The luxury of free time
meant the Greeks could pursue other interests such
as politics and military interests.
Most free Greeks didn’t work for someone else
and didn’t want to. If you were a waged employee,
you worked when your employer told you to, did
what they told you to, and could be fired at any
time. It was preferable to own a tiny farm or even
produce simple cra� items, even if that meant you
had a lower standard of living than you would
with steady employment.
Religion
Rather than a mystical and esoteric system of
belief, Greek religion was practical. Mortals made
sacrifices to the gods in order to guarantee their
good will, which meant the city-state would
survive. In addition to the large-scale rituals to
benefit the community, there were also smaller
rituals to help through personal and family events
like birth, adolescence, marriage, and death.
The ancient Greek religion had no formal
system of morality. Priests and priestesses were
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
Homosexuality
Ancient Greece was ambivalent about male homosexuality. It was considered
shameful and slavish for a man to submit sexually to another man, and its
discovery could dishonor the man. Likewise, procuring boys was illegal and
youths were protected from such attention by their athletic coaches, musical
instructors, older male athletes, or older relatives wanting to hire them out.
On the other hand, the myths have Zeus bringing young Ganymede to Mount
Olympus because of the boy’s great beauty, and Apollo was as likely to chase
boys as nymphs. Plus, among the Greeks the lack of male-female courtship
opportunities meant that such inappropriate liaisons did occur, though it
placed the boy in a difficult position because it could ruin his reputation and
role as a citizen forever. A boy was considered too old for such attention when
his beard grew in.
there to direct the proper performance of religious
rituals, not to preach, give divine revelation, or
extol or exemplify the nature of a specific faith.
People used the myths to comment on and explain
history and the world. There were no sacred
texts giving a list of accepted and proscribed
behavior, though some people acted as prophets
and seers, interpreting the flights of birds or the
configuration of a sacrificed animal’s entrails in
exchange for a small fee. Each city had its own
prophets, though there were more famous ones
outside the cities (such as the oracle at Delphi).
Those unwilling to spend coin sometimes tried
sleeping in a temple, hoping to receive a prophetic
dream from the gods.
The main purpose of a temple was to house
and protect the statue of a god, as well as to
provide a place for the sacrifices to occur (thus,
almost all temples had some sort of hearth where
sacrifices could be burned). The citizens provided
sculpture and art to make the temple a place of
beauty, and a well-decorated temple showed the
glory of the god and the strength and wealth of
the community. Most communities had a large
team of artists and cra�smen to decorate and
maintain their temple.
Athletics
Athletics was a popular pastime for the Greeks,
much as modern sports keep the masses
entertained. The athletes were usually aristocrats
or sponsored by them, as they were the only ones
who had enough free time to keep fit and practice
Athletics and Art
The prevalence of athletics gave artists the opportunity to study human
bodies at rest and in motion, and eventually led to advances in depictions
of the human form in painting and sculpture that made the Parthenon so
remarkable. Because the Greeks kept their wine in large ceramic containers
called amphorae, these containers provided a ready and omnipresent
place for artists to put their art, usually depicting athletic scenes, warfare,
mythology, or erotica.
 Chapter Four: Culture

on a regular basis (usually as a preparation for

war). For the rest of the citizens it was enough to
watch and cheer their favorites.
Athletics crept into many parts of Greek
festivals; funereal games were held to honor a
great person being buried, games were added
to religious ceremonies, and so on. The greatest
ceremonies (such as the Olympiad) were held
every four years (fi�y lunar months) and because
they occurred on different cycles it was possible for
athletes to compete every year to large crowds.

The Ancient Olympics

Like the modern Olympics that emulate them,
the ancient Olympics were a celebration of sport,
humanity, and peace, though they certainly
had their share of political rivalries, cheating,
and economic incentives. For the purpose of an
Argonauts campaign, a�ending the Olympics is
an opportunity to achieve fame, beat a rival in a
peaceful manner, and perhaps catch the eye of a
famous would-be patron.
The ancient Olympics took place every four
years (there were other major games on the

off-years, however, so it was possible for a

professional athlete to support himself financially
by competing every year). With the intent of
a�racting as many athletes as possible from all
over the Greek lands, kings allowed athletes
traveling to and from the games to travel safely
under a special truce, despite any wars between
city-states. Athletes had to arrive at Olympia
a month early to undergo supervised training,
evaluation, and sorting into age categories. The
prelude to the Olympics did not include a relayed
lit torch. Only male Greek citizens were allowed
to compete (no foreigners or slaves), and they
competed naked; unmarried women had their
own series of footraces held in honor of Hera
which took place at the same time, and wore
special short tunics designed to allow for running.
The Olympics took place over five days, with
events scheduled over those days and accompanied
by sacrifices to the gods. Winning athletes received
prizes and money, either from their sponsors or
from the rulers of their home town or city-state
(the word “athlete” means “person who competes
for a prize” in Greek, derived from athlos meaning
“contest” and athlon meaning “prize”). In addition
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 Chapter Four: Culture

to their financial awards, they sometimes received compete for sustaining notes, skill, and volume.
other benefits such as free meals at the city hall The winners of these events have the honor of
for the rest of their life (a sort of pension plan for announcing the other contest’s winners and
successful athletes) or statues made in their likeness. sounding the start of events. For this event,
Use the simple rules here to judge athletic make two Perform (wind instrument) checks
competitions; note that these are intended to (representing two a�empts) and take the be�er
emulate the competition in an abstract way and result. The performer with the highest Perform
not take into account every small detail relevant check result wins that contest.
to greatness in a particular sport, yet still be fair Javelin: Athletes used a thong tied to the end
enough that a character with one high ability score of a javelin to increase the throwing distance but
can’t sweep the events. For example, throwing a otherwise much like the modern competition.
javelin far is more than just a ma�er of strength According to the Player’s Handbook, a javelin has
and dexterity, it’s also ground speed, flexibility, a 30 foot range increment and has a maximum
and release angle, but modeling the precise range of five range increments (150 feet), but for
contribution of each of those factors is beyond the the Olympic javelin (which was lighter than a
scope of this book. war javelin and not fi�ed with a metal head) an
Over time, the events at the ancient Olympics acceptable distance was over 200 feet, with 300 feet a
grew to encompass the following events. Note that good throw (then again, they weren’t trying to hit a
some events may have qualifying rounds to weed human-sized target at that distance). For a distance
out weaker athletes. throw, roll 3 Strength checks and 2 Dexterity checks,
Boxing: Unarmed combat, fists only, with the add the totals to 80 + the character’s run speed (4x
boxers wearing so� leather wrappings on the base speed without the Run feat, 5x with it); this
hands. Holds and blows to the genitals were not is the distance in feet the javelin flies. The ancient
allowed. Boxers were allowed to rest, and the Olympics also had a target-javelin competition on
match otherwise continued until one boxer was horseback, which can be modeled by a�ack rolls
knocked out or conceded defeat. Both boxers could against an AC 13 Tiny target (base AC 10, effective
also agree to a faster resolution of the match in Dex 0 for a -5 penalty, +8 bonus for size), with the
which they took turns raining blows on each other, highest successful a�ack roll winning the round.
with the target not defending himself against the
a�acks. Use normal unarmed combat rules to
resolve boxing matches.
Discus: Weighing almost 14 pounds, the discus
is not used as a weapon but could kill someone if a
throw went astray (and did so in some myths). One
hundred feet is an amazing throw; to determine
distance thrown (in feet), roll three Strength checks
and one Dexterity check and add the results.
Equestrian: This category covered riding and
chariot competitions. The first was six laps around
the stadium (about 4 1/2 miles), and jockeys rode
without saddle or stirrup. The second category
is a race between two- or four-horse chariots (or
in some cases mules), covering 12 laps around
the stadium (about 9 miles). The jockeys and
charioteers usually were not the owners of
the chariot or horses as such things were very
expensive, and the awards for winning a race were
given to the owner rather than the athlete. In a race
where the horses have the same base speed, have
the riders or charioteers make a Ride check each
round; a success against DC 15 means he or his
team may travel an extra 5 feet that round, DC 20
means an extra 10 feet.
Herald and Trumpeter: This event takes place
on the first day of the Olympics. The artists

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 Chapter Four: Culture
Jumping: This competition was only part of the
pentathlon, not a separate event. Like the modern
event, it had a running start. Ancient Olympians
held weights (called halteres) in their hands while
running, swinging their arms up and forward at
the jump to provide more li�, throwing the weights
backward to increase forward motion and lengthen
the jump. With the help of these weights, some
athletes were able to jump over fi�y feet (compared
to the modern Olympic record of less than 30 feet).
For a jump using halteres, make a Dexterity check
against DC 15; success means the jumper makes
two Jump checks and adds the results together to
determine the distance jumped.
Pankration: This sport is a combination of
boxing and wrestling where the opponents are
allowed to grapple and hit each other; only biting
and eye gouging were disallowed. Two versions
of this sport exist, one where you must remain
standing (and trips or throws were usually the way
to win), one where it was permissible to kneel or
fall prone and you won if your opponent passed
out or conceded defeat.
Pentathlon: The Greeks admired the
pentathletes for their well-rounded skills, and
believed they had the most beautiful bodies
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combining grace and strength. The five events
of the pentathlon are discus, javelin, jumping,
running, and wrestling.
Running: The Greeks held footraces in several
lengths (600 feet, 1,200 feet, or a longer race
anywhere from 4,200 to 5,400 feet), and boys
had their own 600-foot race. The men could also
compete in a race wearing standardized hoplite
armor, with distance ranging from 1,200 to 2,400
feet. In a race where multiple athletes have the
same base speed (as is usually the case in this
game), have the runners make a Dexterity check
each round; a success against DC 15 means he may
travel an extra 5 feet of distance that round, DC 20
means an extra 10 feet.
Wrestling: This sport took place in a muddy
arena, and the athletes covered themselves in olive
oil and dust to make the contest more difficult.
Punches, trips, bites, and eye gouges were not
permi�ed. Like pankration, there was a standing
form and a more open form. In the standing form,
the winner was the athlete who threw his opponent
to the ground (a pin, followed on the next a�ack
by a successful trip a�empt) three times. In the
open form, the winner won when the other athlete
passed out or conceded defeat.
 Chapter 5: Deities
This chapter covers the gods, goddesses, and other
mythological beings of power in the Greek myths.
First is a summary of prehistoric events for those
unfamiliar with the Greek creation story and the
series of divine coups that eventually put Zeus in
charge of the pantheon, then a family tree of the
pantheon, and finally a short description for each
deity or titan.

Greek Prehistory
From out of the primordial Chaos rose Gaea the
earth and Uranos the sky. Uranos ruled the universe,
Gaea birthed many children for him, and natural
creatures arose from her fertile body to populate
the world. Her first children were the titans, great
majestic beings taller than mountains, six of them
male and six female, and both parents were proud
of their first offspring. Her next three children were
the one-eyed cyclopes, ugly in form but gi�ed in
smithing. Her next three children were even more
monstrous—the hecatoncheires, fi�y-headed and
hundred-armed. Uranos looked upon the cyclopes
and hecatoncheires with disgust and hurled them
into Tartarus, the deepest pit under the earth.
Gaea was saddened at Uranos’ behavior, for she
loved all of her children, and presented a sickle
made of flint to the titans, asking them to make an
end to Uranos. Cronus, the youngest but strongest
titan, overcame his fear and a�acked his father,
castrating him and leaving him powerless. Cronus
threw his father’s genitals into the sea and became
the new lord of the universe. He le� the cyclopes
and hecatoncheires in Tartarus, and this angered
Gaea. She plo�ed against Cronus just as she had
against his father, knowing that one of Cronus’
sons would be stronger than Cronus just as the
titan was stronger than his own father.
Cronus knew this truth, too, so every time his
wife Rhea gave birth, he swallowed the child.
Rhea mourned her lost children, and when the
sixth was born she hid the boy and instead gave
Cronus a stone swaddled in cloth, which he
swallowed. Spirited away by agents of Gaea, the
infant Zeus was raised by gentle nymphs and fed
on ambrosia and nectar, the food and drink of the
gods. When he was fully grown, he conspired with
Metis, goddess of prudence and daughter of the
titan Oceanus. Metis tricked Cronus into eating a
magical herb, which caused him to vomit up his
swallowed children, who (being immortal) had
survived and matured in their father’s stomach.
These children were Hades, Poseidon, Hestia,
Demeter, and Hera, each gods or goddesses in
their own right. Cronus couldn’t stand against the
power of the six gods and was cast into Tartarus.
Zeus became the new lord of the universe.

Zeus battles Typhon

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 Chapter Five: Deities
The titans revolted, refusing to bow down to
the young gods, and there was war in the heavens.
Zeus freed the cyclopes, who forged mighty
weapons for the gods, and the hecatoncheires,
who were as strong as the titans. With these allies,
the gods defeated the titans, and Zeus imprisoned
his enemies in Tartarus, with the hecatoncheires
guarding the gates. Gaea became angry that now
her beautiful children were imprisoned in Tartarus,
so she brought forth Typhon and Echidna, two
terrible monsters to defeat the gods and release
the titans. A�er a massive ba�le that destroyed
much of the earth, Zeus imprisoned Typhon under
a mountain and Echidna fled. Zeus allowed her
to survive and care for her hideous offspring,
knowing that they would make fine challenges for
future mortal heroes.
With these last monsters defeated, Gaea ceased
her protests, and she and the gods rebuilt the
world. The gods had children with each other and
with the children of titans, ruled over mankind
from their great palace on Mount Olympus, and
got into disagreements with each other and mortals
about various things.
Olympian Gods and Titans
The following list is intended as an overview
of the supernatural beings worshipped by the
Greeks in one form or another. In the Argonauts
se�ing, the gods are tangible but remote. The
focus is on the heroes, not the gods, so this
cursory information is sufficient for the purpose
of this book (this should be enough information
to let a player choose a divine ancestor if playing
a character with a bloodline). In any case, there
are hundreds of books on mythology that can give
more details on the gods and the mortal religions
devoted to them; for the purpose of a Argonauts
campaign, “it is a temple of Athena, goddess
of wisdom and just war, patron of Athens” is
sufficient for almost all purposes.
This list includes titans and other non-godly
humanoid creatures of Greek myth for the sake
of completeness of Olympian genealogy; while in
the stories few mortals were descended from these
beings, there is no reason why you couldn’t allow
titanic bloodlines as well as godly ones. Note that
some of the goddesses here are listed as virgins,
but that doesn’t mean they can’t have mortal
bloodlines; the Olympians have many powers
and having children without sex is the least effort
should they choose to do so.
The Anemoi: The four winds, sons of Eos,
some also representing a season—Boreas (North
Wind, winter), Notus the (South Wind, autumn),
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Zephyr (West Wind), and Eurus (East Wind).
Sometimes they took the form of horses and
pulled Zeus’ chariot, and many of their offspring
are immortal horses.
Aphrodite: Goddess of love, marriage, sex, and
fertility. She was born of a mixture of sea-foam and
Uranos’ castrated genitals, arising spontaneously
and arriving on the isle of Cyprus. Zeus feared that
the gods would fight over her so he quickly gave
her as a bride to Hephaestus. Unhappy with her
ugly club-footed husband, she had many affairs—
particularly with Ares (she is the mother of Ares’
children Phobos and Deimos)—and many children.
Of mercurial temperament, she had a habit of
cursing or destroying any mortals who compared
their beauty to her own.
Apollo: God of archery, prophecy, music, and
healing, he is an excellent bowman and the brother
of Artemis. He is sometimes worshipped as the
sun god, and his arrows are as piercing as the rays
of the sun. A lusty god, he chased nymphs, mortal
women, and even a few beautiful young men.
Ares: God of war, ba�le, and frenzy. Handsome
and cruel, he had an affair with Aphrodite and
married her a�er Hephaestus divorced her. His sons
Phobos (god of panic) and Deimos (god of fear)
a�ended him in war (as did Eris) and elsewhere.
Though a war god, he had a habit of running to
Zeus for help whenever he was wounded.
Artemis: Virgin goddess of the hunt, childbirth,
and protection of children. She is the twin sister
of Apollo. Her arrows are as so� as moonbeams
and bring painless death. Artemis is o�en depicted
hunting deer, and is usually accompanied by a
group of nymphs. She can be vengeful when the
mood takes her, and has killed mortals for slighting
her mother Leto or for viewing her bathing.
Athena: Virgin goddess of wisdom, ba�le-skill,
heroism, and the defense of cities. She is patron
deity of Athens (a�er winning a contest with
Poseidon). The daughter of Zeus and Metis, she
sprung forth fully grown from Zeus’s head. She
wears Medusa’s head on her shield, the Aegis.
Atlas: The titan of daring thought, he fought
against Zeus in the titan-god war and holds the
vault of the sky on his shoulders as a punishment.
In some tales he was pardoned and now guards the
great pillars that hold up the sky.
Coeus: Titan of questioning intellect. Husband
of Phoebe, together they form the foundation of
knowledge and discovery. Father of Leto, and thus
grandfather of Apollo and Artemis.
Crios: Titan of lordship and mastery who gained
power over the air, water, earth, and underworld.
His granddaughter Hecate inherited these powers.
 Chapter Five: Deities

Olympian Genealogy

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 Chapter Five: Deities
Cronus: Titan of time’s effect on human lives,
Cronus defeated his father Uranos and became
ruler of the universe, only to be deposed by his
own son Zeus. As well as fathering six of the great
gods, he is father of Chiron, the wise centaur who
taught Jason, Asclepius, and Achilles.
Demeter: Goddess of the harvest, agriculture,
and law. She is a sister of Zeus and mother of
Persephone (bride of Hades). Persephone must
spend six months out of the year in Hades’ realm,
and Demeter’s sorrow over her absent daughter
causes winter in the mortal world.
Dionysus: God of wine, revels, theater, and
festivals. He was a very popular god in the late
Greek classical age. Half-mortal himself, he o�en
helps mortals but likewise can drive them to
drunkenness and madness if they offend him.
Eos: Goddess of the dawn, mother of the four
winds, daughter of Hyperion and Thia. Her mortal
husband Tithonus shrank into a grasshopper as
he aged because Eos only asked Zeus to grant him
eternal youth, but neglected to ask for eternal life.
Eris: Goddess of strife and hatred. She is a
sinister and mean creature who loves enticing
others into trouble. Her golden apple of discord
destroys friendships and causes wars. She is
the mother of evil minor godlings of murder,
grievances, lies, hardship, famine, and pain.
Eros: God of love, usually depicted with wings
and a bow with arrows that cause creatures to fall
in love. Son of Ares and Aphrodite, he married a
beautiful princess named Psyche (“soul”) despite
his mother’s ire about the mortal girl’s beauty.
Epimetheus: Titan of a�erthought and the
father of excuses, he created the beasts of the earth.
A�er Prometheus stole fire from the heavens,
Zeus punished mankind by giving Pandora to
Epimetheus as a wife.
Hades: God of the underworld and wealth, he
keeps mostly to himself in his realm with his wife
Persephone. The Greeks felt that speaking his name
would draw his a�ention (and hasten the speaker’s
death), so they called him “the Unseen” or “the
Host of Many.”
Hecate: Goddess of witchcra�, with magical
powers over the earth, sea, and heavens. She is
sometimes seen as a dark and mysterious aspect of
Artemis, representing mysteries of femininity and
the moon. In some tales Hecate is the mother of the
mortal sorceresses Circle and Medea.
Helios: God of the sun and sight (and to a lesser
extent the measurement of time by the sun). He
steers the sun-chariot across the sky with four fiery
wild horses. He is so bright that only the gods can
look at him directly in his true glory.
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Hephaestus: The forge and fire god, born lame in
one foot (or crippled when thrown from Olympus
to the earth by jealous Zeus or angry Hera). A
master cra�sman, he and his cyclopes forged Zeus’
thunderbolts and many of the metal monsters of
Greek stories. He was married to Aphrodite, but
divorced her because of her many affairs.
Hera: Goddess of marriage and women, queen
of the gods, wife of Zeus. Jealous of all of his
infidelity (many myths revolve around Zeus’
a�empts to evade her wrath), she managed to
conceive two sons (one of them Hephaestus) by
herself. Zeus is the father of her children Ares,
Eileithyia (goddess of childbirth), and Hebe
(goddess of youth). She aided some heroes (such as
Jason, leader of the original Argonauts) and sided
with the Greeks in the Trojan War.
Hermes: God of messengers, guides, travel,
herds, and invention. He helped many Greek
heroes in their tasks. Hermes created the first lyre,
and it is said his spirit watches over travelers from
the small cairns of stones placed at crossroads.
Hestia: Virgin goddess of the sacred hearth and
sacrificial flame. A gentle goddess, she is the oldest
sister of Zeus. She gave up her seat in Olympus
for Dionysus, so she was made the goddess of the
sacrificial fire, and a portion of every sacrifice to
the gods goes to her.
Hyperion: The titan of watching and
observation, and father to Eos, Helios, and Selene.
Iris: Goddess of the rainbow and messenger of
the gods. Dressed in a gown of iridescent drops,
she carries news to and from Olympus and the
mortal world.
Japet: The titan of spoken words and thoughts,
husband of Clymene (titan of fame and infamy,
daughter of titan Oceanus). He was Cronus’
general in the god-titan war.
Leto: Titan of unnoticed and hidden things (gi�s
she bestowed on the living things of the earth) as
well as motherhood. She is the mother of Apollo
and Artemis, and said to be the gentlest of all the
Olympians.
Metis: Daughter of Oceanus, she is the titan of
good counsel and prudence. Prophecy said that
if she bore a son to Zeus, he would overthrow his
father, so Zeus tricked her into changing into a fly
and swallowed her so that he might always have
her advice. Her unborn daughter Athena grew
within Zeus’ skull and sprung forth from his head
fully grown.
Mnemosyne: Titan of memory and inventor of
words. She was one of the first goddesses of music
and her nine daughters the Muses (fathered by
Zeus) carry on that role.
 Chapter Five: Deities
Muses: Minor goddesses of music, arts,
literature, and performance. Their names and
domains are Calliope (eloquence and epic poetry,
she is the mother of Orpheus), Clio (historical
writing), Erato (mimicry and erotic poetry),
Euterpe (lyric poetry), Melpomene (tragic
performance), Polyhymnia (hymns), Terpsichore
(dance and choral song), Thalia (idyllic poetry and
comedic performance), and Urania (astronomical
writing). Calliope is the mother of Orpheus, the
greatest mortal musician in the world.
Nike: Goddess of victory. She has great
feathered wings. Though born of obscure titans,
she was welcomed to Olympus by Zeus and aided
Athena in her tasks. Her brothers Kratos and Zelos
represent strength and rivalry, and her sister Bia
represents force.
Oceanus: The titan personification of the great
river that surrounded the world, as well as titan of
all fresh water. He is father to the spirits of rivers,
seas, clouds, and rains of the Greek world with his
wife Tethys.
Pan: The god of flocks and shepherds. A nature
god, Pan is the son of Hermes and has goat’s legs,
pointed ears, and shaggy hair all over his body.
He is the protector of hunters, shepherds, and
flocks. He enjoys music and wine, and the satyrs
serve him.
Phoebe: Titan of answering intellect and the
wife of fellow titan Coeus; together they form the
core of all knowledge and discovery in the world.
She is the mother of Leto, and thus grandmother of
Apollo and Artemis. Phoebe is the original owner
of the oracle at Delphi, which she gi�ed to her
grandson Apollo.
Poseidon: God of the sea, earthquakes, and
horses. He created horses as a gi� to Demeter
a�er several failed experiments such as the hippo,
camel, and giraffe. He is a moody and violent god,
prone to lash out with waves or earthquakes. He is
the father of many godlings and water-spirits and a
few mortal heroes as well.
Prometheus: The titan of forethought, he created
the second race of humans a�er the first race was
wiped out by the ba�les of the gods. Stole fire
from the heavens to give to mankind, chained to
a mountain as punishment where the Kaukasian
eagle would tear out his immortal liver each day.
Eventually Heracles freed him.
Rhea: Titan of female fertility, queen of the
titans, primary wife of Cronus, and mother to the
six first Olympian gods.
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Selene: Goddess of the moon, she lights the
world at night while her brother Helios rests. Her
husband Endymion was granted eternal sleep at
her request so he may stay forever young, and
he fathered her fi�y daughters (the Menai, who
represent the fi�y lunar months between each
Olympiad).
Tethys: The titan of nursing and of water flowing
underground, she is the wife of Oceanus. As mother
to thousands of river-spirits and other minor
godlings of nature, she is normally accompanied by
Eileithyia, a minor goddess of childbirth.
Themis: Titan of customs and order. An oracular
goddess, she is the mother of the three goddesses
of destiny as well as the goddesses of seasons and
divination.
Thia: Titan of sight, and the one responsible
for imbuing precious metal and gems with their
sparkle and value. The Greeks believe that sight
worked by a kind of ray emi�ed by the eyes, so it
follows that she is the mother to the sun and moon,
whose lights illuminate the world.
Zeus: Leader of the Olympians, god of thunder,
sky, kingship, and justice. He fathered many gods
and mortal heroes on many different women (some
immortal, some not), much to the annoyance of his
queen Hera. His weapon is the thunderbolt.
Olympian Symbology
The gods of the Greeks are o�en depicted
symbolically in art, sculpture, and decorations.
Any of these symbols is appropriate as a holy
symbol, shield decoration, or (if appropriate) a
sacrificial item or creature.
God Symbol
Aphrodite Eros, apple, dove
Apollo laurel wreath, bow and arrow, lyre
Ares helmet, spear
Artemis bow and arrow, deer, hunting spear,
lyre
Athena aegis (shield with Medusa’s head on
it), helmet, spear
Demeter grain, lotus staff, torch
Dionysus panther, thyrsus (staff tipped with a
pine cone and twined with ivy), vines
Hephaestus donkey, hammer, tongs
Hera crown, lotus staff, lion
Hermes caduceus, petasos (a winged wide-
brimmed hat), winged boots
Poseidon octopus, trident
Zeus eagle, lightning bolt, lotus staff
 Chapter 6: History
This book assumes an Argonauts campaign
takes place around 700 B.C.—about a hundred
years a�er the end of Greece’s “Dark Age” and
well into the era of the more powerful city-states
(particularly Athens and Sparta). This period is late
enough to see iron weapons become common and
the development of the phalanx, early enough that
se�lements are still ruled by kings (rather than the
more democratic classical Greek civilization) and
there is plenty of untamed wild space in between
the sca�ered human civilizations. This allows a
DM to make use of some of the more modern (to
the Greeks) elements in the game, but still capture
the feel of the myths. Clearly the events of the
myths took place before this time, and mythical
creatures did not roam Greek during this time
period, but this choice makes the se�ing familiar
enough to DMs and players without having to
restrict all but the weakest
armors and use bronze rather
than iron weapons. What
follows is a summary of Greek
history up to this point.
The Bronze Age
Dating back as early as 1500
BC, a material culture came
to power in this part of the
world. Se�lement leaders
were successful warriors who
collected trophies as proof
of their victories—weapons,
armor, gems and jewelry,
slaves and servants, and
herds of valuable animals. Herodotus, Greek Historian
The chief’s fame and wealth
a�racted followers, and the chief rewarded his
favored followers with gi�s of these goods.
These gi�s built bonds with other warriors and
established ties of power, much as oaths of loyalty
tied together the European nobility hundreds of
years later. When not fighting enemies of their
tribe or town, the chief and his closest followers
spent their time hunting, pursuing athletics, or
feasting. Because they built their power based on
deeds and reputation, they tended to be arrogant
brawlers who liked to get in fights with rivals; this
gave the chiefs excuses to ba�le and prove their
strength and opportunities to collect more loot
from vanquished opponents. The obsession with
wealth continued in death, and the great chiefs
were buried under large earthen mounds, o�en
with weapons, their favorite hunting dogs, and
even horses, chariots, or close followers dedicated
to go with the chief into the a�erlife.
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During this time, Greece was a borderland
region, on the northeastern edge of African/
Egyptian civilization and the western edge of Syria
and the other lands of what is now the Middle East.
Too far to be worth conquering and without obvious
caches of valuable resources, Greece was largely le�
alone, and had the luxury of borrowing culture and
technology from its neighbors. Over time the Greeks
learned how to build large structures and mastered
the working of ivory, gold, silver, and gems, as well
as painting, particularly on vases.
The Minoans
The best-known Greek civilization of this time
is the Minoans, located on the isle of Crete (their
name for themselves is unknown, and they were
dubbed Minoans for the mythic King Minos of
Crete whose wife Queen Pasiphae gave birth to the
minotaur). In the earliest part
of this time period the Minoans
had built large palaces for
their chiefs, containing the
entire community (some of
them covered several thousand
acres) including homes and
storage for goods. At this time,
religion was still somewhat
tied to natural locales, with
worship taking place on
mountaintop sanctuaries or
in mountain caves, so as to
be closer to the gods. Around
1450 B.C. the Mycenaeans
(a Greek people from the
peninsula) took over Crete,
probably through warfare,
although this changed li�le in the daily life of the
average Minoan and apparently just resulted in a
change in the ruling class of the island.
The Mycenaeans
By the time the Mycenaeans arrived in Crete,
they had developed chariots and used them as
their primary military defense. The palaces of
the Mycenaean age were smaller than those built
by the Minoans, but each had a large central hall
called a megaron which had a hearth and was used
as a meeting-place for the king to hold court, give
banquets, and deal with the public. Each hearth
had an altar a�ached to it, and religion played an
integral part in daily life now that it was no longer
necessary to walk to the nearest mountaintop to
make a sacrifice to the gods.
The Mycenaean kings were served by
many delegates who enforced his will across
 Chapter Six: History
the kingdom, extending the king’s reach and
maintaining a consistency in his laws. Each town
was led by an appointed official (basileus), an
aristocrat landowner, or even a priest or priestess.
All citizens of adequate age and health were
required to serve in the kingdom’s military, and
each citizen owned his own weapons. Many
communities had slaves who took care of most of
the industrial needs of the kingdom (tending crops,
creating simple goods, and so on).
The Mycenaean period ended under mysterious
circumstances. Many sites were destroyed and
most of the island population was wiped out. Most
scholars believe the causes is an unknown invader
from a nearby land, as similar a�acks happened
in neighboring countries—for example, Egypt
was invaded by Libya, the Hi�ites to the east were
overwhelmed by a foreign force, and so on.
The Dark Ages
The Greek Dark Ages were a three-century period
starting in 1100 B.C., but unlike the European
Dark Ages a�er the fall of Rome, this was a time
of increased instability, rather than regression
into near-barbarism. During the Dark Ages the
Greeks made several significant advancements,
developing a new kind of po�ery, increasing the
amount of worked iron for weapons and tools,
and establishing an oral record of earlier stories
preserved by Greek bards. The culmination of these
records are the Homeric epics which were wri�en
near the end of the Dark Ages, and included stories
such as the Heracles stories, the Siege of Troy, and
the Seven Against Thebes (a tale of Oedipus’ sons),
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Bards and the Dark Ages
During this time, the art of poetry and the status of bards increased greatly.
The best poets were experts in retelling the classic stories in such a way as
to enthrall the audience and make a topical point or a new interpretation of its
meaning. Homer’s works helped establish a tradition of competitive reciting,
where bards would speak portions of the great stories before an audience.
This sort of event became so popular that it became a permanent part of the
Panathenaea, one of Athens’ greatest festivals.
all of which became somewhat standardized and
were greatly elaborated (and in the centuries to
follow were turned into performance pieces by
Greek playwrights).
In terms of culture the Dark Ages were a slight
fallback to previous eras, with warrior chiefs
controlling smaller areas rather than established
kings ruling larger areas. Many of the chiefs came
from aristocrat families who retained some wealth
and status from the Mycenaean age, giving them
a slight advantage over the common rabble-rouser
with a mind for leadership. Fortunately, the
bards’ stories kept the memories of the previous
age alive, and when traders from nearby lands
approached the Greeks with exotic goods, the
stories of the rich feasting-halls were still present
in the minds of the leaders. The aristocrats wanted
these foreign goods, and weren’t content to just be
a stopping-point on the way across the Aegean.
The Greeks established a trading outpost in Syria.
Greek traders began to expand their reach. Politics
and economics stabilized in the nearby lands,
and these things together helped Greece leave
its Dark Ages and move on to the Archaic Age at
approximately 800 B.C.
 Chapter Six: History
The Archaic Age
This era is called “archaic” because it is the last
one before the Classical Greek era (the era of Greek
philosophers, architecture, and so on). Despite
its condescending title, it is a great period of time
for the Greek people. Three key things mark the
beginning of the Archaic Age: the influx of trade
from foreign lands (as described above), a surge
in population that led to colonization, and the
development of the hoplite style of warfare.
Ancient Greece lacked modern methods of birth
control, so population growth tended to occur
at a constant rate, usually resulting in warfare
as one city a�acked another to acquire resources
to feed its bloated population. Such an increase
occurred in the early part of the Archaic Age, with
some estimating that the population of Athens
quadrupled in the first fi�y years of this age and
then doubled beyond that in the next fi�y. Rather
than turn to war with their fellows, the Greeks of
this age turned to colonization. Aristocrats sought
the wealth of foreign lands and financed colonizing
expeditions, and in many cases the city-state’s
government did so as well in an a�empt to increase
its own trade and to relocate excess numbers of
citizens. The leaders of these expeditions were
o�en aristocrats and were given the responsibility
to choose the location of the colony, divide up its
land among the colonists, and drawing up a set
of laws for the colony. These colonies remained
Greek; they built their homes in Greek style,
maintained their culture, resisted the influence of
foreign governments and mores, and used their
knowledge and resources to suppress or drive out
the native peoples.
What helped make these colonies safe and
stable was the development of the hoplite, a Greek
warrior wearing a breastplate, helmet, and greaves,
with a round shield, sword, and a thrusting spear.
The hoplites used the phalanx formation, eight
men deep and as many men wide as the number of
troops and terrain permi�ed, and with the phalanx
they were nearly invincible against the older
fighting styles, especially against less-organized
opponents. The hoplite was made possible by
the greater availability of iron and the increased
wealth of the average Greek, making it possible
for every soldier to own his own set of armor. The
supremacy of the hoplite is what allowed them
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to maintain their hold on the fringes of enemy
lands (though those locals who adopted the
hoplite tactics, such as some of the Italian natives,
managed to hold back the Greek colonization from
their lands). It is important to note that around this
time the Greeks stopped burying weapons and
armor with the dead; it was more practical to give
the armor to another warrior so it could be used
in the defense of the people. Ironically enough, in
later centuries some Greek cities used hoplites with
less and less armor, eventually fighting naked with
only their weapons and a shield.
Government and society changed during the
Archaic Age with the development of the polis,
originally just the center of a community which
eventually evolved into the Greek-city state. Greeks
began to realize that they weren’t lowly subjects of
a king whose rule extended over an entire country;
they were people able to make choices about their
lives and the enrichment of their culture. From this
mentality grew the concept of Greeks as citizens
rather than subjects. This gave them a stronger
identity as Greeks, rather than people who served
the king; the king became less important than the
kingdom. With the development of the polis, the
Greeks believed that all citizens were equal under
the law, even the king and other leaders—the
king may be first among citizens, but he was still
a citizen just like any other. The use of hoplites
also meant that the Greeks were used to working
together on a regular basis, and as the hoplites
made up a significant portion of the population
and they were responsible for defending the polis,
the leaders couldn’t dismiss their interests out of
hand. Greek society moved toward democracy.
Literacy became common. Laws were posted in
public places so the citizens could read them, when
in other lands laws were solely in the hands of the
kings and subject to change at the king’s whim.
The Archaic Age lasted approximately from
800-500 B.C., leading into the Classical Age and
even more advancements in art, engineering,
literature, government, philosophy, and religion,
though this new era of reason and the group tactic
of the hoplites spelled the end of the era of mythic
god-born heroes, which were relegated to stories
from a past age. The famous men of the Classical
Age were philosophers and generals, all firmly
entrenched in the mortal world.
 Chapter 7: Running the Campaign
The Greek heroic myths were about great heroes
traveling to exotic places, obeying the will of
the gods, and fighting terrible monsters, usually
with the reward of a kingdom, a great princess
as a bride, or even being placed in the sky as an
immortal constellation. The goals, actions, and
rewards aren’t the same as in a standard campaign.
Greek heroes don’t guard caravans. They don’t
investigate dungeons. They don’t break up
thieves’ guilds, loot ancient tombs, root out goblin
caves, defeat armies of undead, have city-based
adventures, or stop the end of the world.
This poses an interesting challenge to DMs
who want to run a mythic Greek campaign. Many
of the staple adventures of the game don’t fit
the theme of the campaign. How do you build a
campaign in mythic Greece when the traditional
adventures aren’t appropriate? The answer is to
look at the myths and emulate the stories those
myths tell.
Mythic Elements
Let’s look at common elements in the Greek myths
and how they can be the source of RPG adventure.
Abandoned Royal Infants: To avoid dire
prophecies or passing inheritance on to unwanted
heirs, abandoning a royal infant to the elements (a
common practice even for normal Greeks) pops up
several times in the stories, and in every case said
infant is found by a farmer, sailor, or other person
who raises them as their own and sends them
on their way to greatness when they become an
adult, usually foiling the plans of the person who
abandoned them in the first place. Clever DMs
Heracles wrestles the Nemean Lion
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might have one of the heroes unknowingly be an
abandoned prince, and at the end of a journey they
realize their ancestry.
Centaurs: These annoying brutes are the cause
of many fights and disputes, particularly at feasts
and weddings. Like any monster, centaurs are
an easy excuse for a ba�le, but an evil king can
also send the heroes to invite the centaurs to an
upcoming feast in the hopes that diplomacy will
fail and the centaurs will a�ack the heroes.
Connectivity: The heroes of the Greek myths
weren’t isolated. They encountered each other as
acquaintances, allies, and in some cases foes. Don’t
be afraid to insert other scion heroes as NPCs—
even famous mythic figures such as Perseus,
Theseus, and Heracles, and if you run multiple
Argonauts campaigns it’s a perfect opportunity to
bring in characters from previous campaigns in
cameo appearances.
Contests: Whether a chariot race, discus
throw, music competition, archery challenge,
or something even stranger, the Greeks enjoyed
contests of skill, and heroic stakes riding on the
result makes it even more exciting. Making the
heroes participate in a contest or even a series
of sporting events (like the Olympics) can be a
pleasant diversion from monster-hunting and give
NPCs an opportunity to size up the heroes.
Heroic Labors: Made popular by Heracles’
twelve labors, heroes were o�en challenged with
tasks that are impossible to normal men. This
is so common in the stories that heroes should
accept such challenges as part of being a hero and
shouldn’t demand something in return for the
 Chapter Seven: Running the Campaign
labors; it’s an easy way to push the heroes in the
direction of adventure.
Hubris: As o�en as not, a boastful mortal earns
the ire of the gods (whether for claims of beauty,
skill, or equality with the gods) and is punished
in some way. If the mortal is a king or queen, their
land is usually punished with a rampaging monster,
while a common mortal is o�en transformed
into something unpleasant or given a series of
punishments. This is an easy way to get the heroes
involved in an adventure (hopefully through
someone else’s mistake, and not that of the heroes!).
Interesting Arrivals: A ship arrives on a strange
shore with a king and rowed by fi�y princesses, and
the locals declare it a sign from the gods and make
him their king. A golden youth with one sandal
arrives in a great city, and the king plots against him
to thwart a prophecy of the king’s undoing. DMs
can arrange the circumstances of heroes’ arrivals to
fulfill prophecies or arouse suspicions among the
local people, for a positive or negative effect.
Journeys: The Greeks were a nation of seafarers
with colonies on many distant shores, and it is
not surprising that their greatest stories involve
journeys to foreign lands, whether on foot, on a
ship full of heroes, or on a flying horse. During
these journeys they run into many strange things,
starting a precedent for adventurers having
“random encounters” on the way to their true goal.
Kindness: Heroes are people who do good,
even if the act is an inconvenience to them. Many
stories start with a minor good deed that grows
into something greater and becomes an unexpected
reprieve or surprising reward. Give the heroes the
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opportunity to help someone when they don’t need
to, especially if they’re in a hurry; make sure their
actions have consequences.
Marriage: Many stories involve the pursuit of
an advantageous marriage (particularly the hand
of a princess), fleeing an unsuitable marriage, or
retrieving a stolen bride. As a campaign-ending
event, put a political or royal marriage at stage,
giving the heroes the opportunity to leave a legacy
in the campaign.
Monsters: The Greek myths are rife with
monsters, most of them descended from Typhon
and Echidna (Cerberus, Chimera, Nemean Lion,
Hydra, Sphinx, and others), all of them evil or
at least hungry for human flesh. Monsters can
be a side-trek adventure (like the Argonauts
dealing with Scylla and Charybdis on the way
back to Greek carrying the Golden Fleece) or the
goal of the adventure (like Heracles’ labors or
Bellerophon’s pursuit of Pegasus and Chimera).
Prophecy: Oracles frequently give prophecies
about royal offspring, strange monsters, or the fate
of nations. Sometimes these prophecies are false,
but more o�en than not they come true and usually
in an unexpected way. Use prophecies to push the
heroes toward the adventure.
Sacrifices: Whether a perfect animal wanted for a
sacrifice or a forgo�en sacrifice that makes the gods
angry, sacrificial animals play a key part in many
myths. In some cases a foolish mortal tries to make
a human sacrifice and that really makes the god
angry, with even worse repercussions. A sacrifice
or the lack thereof is the cause of an adventure for
heroes, but rarely the adventure itself.
 Chapter Seven: Running the Campaign
Stars: The skies are populated with Greek
heroes and monsters placed there by the gods
a�er death, to honor and remember their deeds
for all time. A truly heroic campaign gains special
sentimentality when a permanent reminder of the
heroes is le� in the sky for future generations to
talk about.
Wealth, Rewards, & Starting Level
Characters in an Argonauts campaign use the
normal wealth-per-level rules in the DMG.
However, pursuit of gold is not why the heroes
went on quests. Greek heroes weren’t in it for the
money; they did it for glory, fame, land, and to
honor the gods with their deeds. Once the players
create their characters and buy their gear according
to how much wealth they should have, make sure
they have enough money to buy supplies and some
pocket money for small expenses, but beyond that
there is no need to heap piles of gold on them for
rewards. Reward them with feasts, with places
of honor at public religious ceremonies, and with
the word of helpful NPCs who can turn their slain
monster trophies into useable magic items with the
Hellenic Alchemy† feat.
Most Greeks in the classic era have at least some
martial experience. To make the heroes stand out
as heroes compared to the average Greek, strongly
consider starting them at 2nd level or higher. This
makes them a cut above the average Greek (who is
usually a Com1/War1 or a War2) and gives them a
hit point buffer in a low-magic campaign where the
monsters are tough and there is no ready access to
healing magic.
Sample Argonauts Campaign
The following is the general course of the
adventures in the Argonauts playtest campaign.
It is presented here as an example of a short-term
campaign with a clear beginning and ending. PCs
started at 2nd level.
Session 1, Athens: The heroes are called to the
temple of Athena in Athens and introduced to each
other. One of the senior priestesses tells them that
Athena has sent word from her brother Apollo that
his oracle at Delphi is threatened and it is Athena’s
will that they investigate this threat. The heroes sail
to Delphi on a ship rechristened the New Argo for
their journey, find strangely rude guards protecting
her cave and saying that she has given orders
not to be disturbed. The heroes push their way
through the guards (a�er a short fight in which
the guards are captured and disarmed) and speak
to the cloaked oracle within the cave. The oracle
gives strange answers and eventually gives up the
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charade, revealing that she’s a gorgon rather than
the true oracle.
Session 2, Delphi: The false oracle, Euryale the
gorgon, a�acks the heroes, and the false oracle
guards run back outside. The heroes a�ack the
gorgon, and her sister Sthenno creeps up from
the darkness and joins the a�ack. The guards,
presumed fled, return with their weapons and join
the fray against the heroes. Euryale falls, Sthenno
retreats into the darkness, and the heroes dispatch
the guards and finally Sthenno. They find the true
oracle in a further part of the cave and she explains
that the strange women and their guards killed her
python guardian and imprisoned her, hoping to
use her prophetic powers for their own goals. She
gives them a prophecy, that a new Golden Fleece
can be found in the remote land of Colchis, and the
heroes are to claim it in the name of Athens, but to
achieve their goal they will need the teeth of the
Calydonian boar.
Session 3, Calydonia: The heroes sail to
Calydonia, where they meet with king Phemius
and find that two monstrous boars impervious
to weapons have been terrorizing remote parts
of the kingdom. Earlier that morning the king’s
son Phyrixious le� in hopes of killing the boars,
and the king asks the heroes to find the prince
and bring him back safely, as well as deal with the
boars. The heroes are given a guide to take them
to the place of the boars’ most recent a�ack, and
from that village they easily track the boars by
the large trails they leave in the grass. Along the
path the find the maimed bodies of several men
from the prince’s hunting party, and eventually
reach a hilltop ruin where they find a greatly-
wounded prince. At this point the boars a�ack,
and through hard fighting the heroes manage to
kill one, though the other one gets away a�er they
le� it unconscious long enough to recover from
its injuries with supernatural speed. The heroes
pursue the fleeing boar despite having half their
numbers able to fight, fight the boar again, and
watch it run away yet again. They decide to return
to the king the next morning, bearing one boar’s
head as proof of their deeds. The king is overjoyed
at the return of his son and throws a feast for the
heroes. They return to the ruin a�er a day of rest
and feasting, find the last boar, and kill it, likewise
returning with the head. The king’s alchemists use
the boar’s bones to cra� a magical healing brew
and the heroes keep the teeth, remembering the
oracle’s words.
Session 4, The Swamp: Having gathered the
needed teeth, they sail to Colchis (stopping by
Athens to report their progress and request guards
 Chapter Seven: Running the Campaign
be sent to help guard the oracle) but get caught
in a storm along the way and limp ashore with a
broken mast. They enter the nearby swamp to find
a suitable tree to fashion a new mast and encounter
a pair of five-headed hydras. The hydras prove to
be formidable foes and several heroes fall, though
the Athenians win out eventually, taking the hydra
skins and hearts in the hopes of making special
items like the alchemists did with the boar’s bones.
They find a suitable tree, cut it down, and drag it
back to the ship. The ship’s crew makes a new mast
and they continue sailing to Colchis. During the
journey the priest in the group succeeds at making
a pair of magical hydra-skin cloaks with healing
powers and a jerky-like dried hydra heart with
tremendous healing potency.
Session 5, Colchis: The heroes reach
Colchis, deal as best they can with the locals’
condescending a�itudes toward “foreign
barbarians,” and speak to a noble at the palace,
and use a bloodline power to quickly turn him to
their side. They meet with king Goran, who tells
them the story of the original Golden Fleece and
the circumstances of them gaining their current
one (a golden flying ram delivered a foreign
prince to Colchis, just like the first Golden Fleece,
the king adopted the boy, sacrificed the ram to
honor the gods, and hung its golden skin on a tree
guarded by a dragon who would a�ack anyone
but the king). A�er talking over dinner the king
agreed to give the heroes the Golden Fleece if
they completed three labors. The first labor was to
drive off or kill a group of centaurs bothering one
of Colchis’ northern towns. The heroes rest that
night, and one is visited by the king’s daughter
Meledria, who warns that her father is not to be
trusted and they are not the first who have come
seeking the Golden Fleece. The heroes set out the
next morning.
Session 6, Centaurs: A week of marching
later, the heroes reach the town and find that the
Heracles, Cerberus, and Hecate
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centaurs normally raid the town for wine and
women, dragging them off into a hillside cave. The
heroes come up with a plan to get the centaurs
drunk and buy four casks of wine. Tracking the
centaurs to their lair, the heroes find one centaur
sleeping under a tree, and plant the kegs near him
in the hopes of ge�ing the others to join in a great
party. Luck is with them and the centaur wakes to
find the “gi� from the gods” and calls his brothers
to join in the drinking. They do so and don’t drink
themselves into a stupor, but are intoxicated
enough to satisfy the heroes, who a�ack and kill
two of the four. The other two flee and the heroes
track them to their cave, where they put an end to
the monsters. They return to the palace, the king
congratulates them, and gives them their next
task. Two of the cyclopes who lived on Mount
Olympus have been struck mad and cast down into
the mortal world; now they live in the mountains
on Colchis’ western border and hurl thunderbolts
on passing patrols. Defeat the two cyclopes and
the heroes will have completed their second task.
Once again Meledria visits the hero’s bedroom and
warns him that few heroes have returned from the
first task and none from the second.
Session 7, Cyclopes: A week’s march to the west
finds the heroes at the foothills of the mountains
marking Colchis’ western border. They confer with
the local soldiers and learn the general location of
the cyclopes’ a�acks, then proceed to that location.
The heroes follow a path into the mountains,
find the hilltop ruin where the cyclopes live, and
stealthily creep their way toward the lair. They are
noticed at the last moment and a great ba�le breaks
out, with the cyclopes hurling thunderbolts and the
heroes using tactics to make up for the cyclopes’
greater strength. Eventually they strike down the
cyclopes, claim the remaining thunderbolts as their
prize, and return to the palace.
Goran and the people of Colchis are surprised
that the heroes have finished their second task and
admits he is impressed. However, the third task is
the most difficult: they must take a secret path in
the eastern part of the kingdom that leads to the
underworld and bring back Cerberus, guardian of
the gate to the underworld, alive to the palace. If
the heroes complete that task, Goran will give them
the Golden Fleece. The heroes make ready to leave
in the morning (procuring a strength-weakening
poison from a local apothecary to make it easier
to bring Cerberus in alive), and for the third time
princess Meledria warns her chosen hero about her
father’s possible treachery.
Session 8, Cerberus: The heroes travel to the
eastern cave, follow its winding path downward,
 Chapter Seven: Running the Campaign
feeling the chill of death as various barely-sensed
spirits pass them on the way to Hades’ realm. They
reach a broad cave with a cold, black river running
through it and realize it is the Styx, the water so
deadly that even the gods would die if they drank
it. They rang a small gong on the riverbank and
soon a�er a cloaked figure in a small boat poled
into view. This man, Charon, ferryman of the
Styx, took them across the water one by one a�er
taking their coin. The heroes find the gates to be
great iron things, adorned with three canine skulls
each as big as a horse’s. Guarding the guards are
two huge dogs, their breath as cold as death itself.
Cerberus is nowhere to be found, though the three
skulls suggest his fate. They a�ack the cerberean
hounds, and during the ba�le four warrior spirits
appear at the open gate—four of the false oracle
guards killed in the ba�le with the gorgons! The
heroes manage to poison one hound and knock
it out, wound the other badly enough to make it
flee through the gate, and are relieved but nervous
that the spirits seem content to watch rather than
a�ack. Tying the fallen hound with several lengths
of chain, the heroes quickly retreat, pay to cross the
Styx again, and make their way back to the palace.
Goran is dumbfounded but manages to keep a
grim composure. The king announces the heroes
have earned the Golden Fleece and he will escort
them to the sacred garden at dawn. They feast
and retire for the night, but Meledria wakes her
champion and tells him that her father plans to
have them assassinated in the night so the Golden
Fleece stays in Colchis. The heroes gather in the
dark of night, hear Meledria’s story, and ask the
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princess for help. She agrees to help them in
exchange for them taking her with them when they
leave, then leads them through a secret passage to
the sacred garden where the never-sleeping dragon
encircles the Golden Fleece’s tree at all times.
Session 9, Dragon: The heroes sneak into the
garden and decide to plant their boar’s teeth. Up
from the ground spring four Athenian warriors,
who turn to the heroes for their commands. With
a word, the heroes and the new soldiers a�ack the
dragon. One hero takes an opportune moment
to snatch the Golden Fleece and run to the secret
passage. The other heroes want to go with him
but fear the dragon will pursue them. The boar
tooth soldiers volunteer to keep the dragon
distracted while the heroes escape, and the heroes
thank them for their noble sacrifice and run away
with the Golden Fleece, the princess, and their
lives intact. They grab some of the king’s horses,
set the others loose to deter fast pursuit, and make
their way at top speed to the port town where
their ship awaits. Before they reach the ship they
run into a squadron of Spartan warriors who
had been tracking their progress, all intent on
taking the Golden Fleece back to Sparta. A great
ba�le ensues, six against twenty-four, and the
heroes emerged bloody but victorious. They met
their ship, sailed back to Athens, and displayed
their prize to the temple of Athena. Hailed as
heroes, the entire city celebrated and they were
given land, awards, and their choice of beautiful
nobles’ daughters as wives. Once again a group
of Argonauts had completed their great quest and
brought the Golden Fleece home.
 Chapter 8: Monsters
This chapter describes the monsters of the Greek
heroic myths. Creatures that cannot be killed by
mortals are not included in this book.
Note that those listed here differ from their
equivalent versions in the MM (for example,
the centaur listed below does not use the MM
centaur’s composite bow and has a different feat
and skill selection). Anything not listed (such as
treasure, LA, and so on) is as per the standard
version of the monster.
Other monsters inspired by the Greek myths
which can be used as-is from the MM include
chimeras, dire animals, griffons, minotaurs,
pegasi, satyrs, and tritons. What the MM calls
harpies are the equivalent to Greek sirens (bird-
women who summoned sailors to drown with
their music), as the mythic harpies were winged
female servants of Zeus, and while they were
sometimes depicted as bird-women, they did not
have entrancing musical powers.
Many classical Greek monsters are just metal
versions of common animals (sometimes with
special powers), such as the fire-breathing
bronze bulls of Colchis. Some of these creatures
are described in this book, but it’s easy to create
your own using a template such as Monte Cook’s
magical construct template (<www.montecook.
com/arch_stuff4.html>). Other monsters of the
myths are o�en common animals with two or more
heads, which you can create with the two-headed
mutant template (<www.seankreynolds.com/
rpgfiles/monsters/two-headed-mutant.html>).
Some of these monsters are described as
immortal. In an Argonauts campaign, immortality
means that the creature does not age, is immune
to normal (nonmagical) diseases or poisons (which
cannot reduce an immortal creature’s ability score
below 1 for any ability), and does not need to eat or
drink. It can still be killed by violence, though such
creatures are usually very hardy.
A monster’s description may include
references to how the “original” creature behaved
or even how it died. Depending on your goal for
the campaign, the monster you present to the
PCs may be the original creature, either brought
back to life by the gods or never slain in the first
place. If you choose to present a monster in this
way, ignore any references to the creature’s death
or who killed it. Otherwise, assume the creature
is another specimen of the same type as the
original.
Each creature’s entry includes what
information a PC recalls about the creature
by using the appropriate Knowledge check
(usually history); higher check results yield
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
more information. If a creature doesn’t have
a Knowledge entry, any PC who makes a DC
10 Knowledge check recalls the listed general
information about the creature.
Most creatures also have a tactics listing, giving
suggestions as to how they act in combat. If a
creature doesn’t have a tactics listing then it uses
tactics appropriate to a normal creature of its kind
(for example, Alkinous’ hounds are simply two
metallic construct guard dogs, and they act like
normal guard dogs).
Aeetes’ Bulls: CR 3; Large construct; HD 5d10+15;
hp 42; Init +0; Spd 40 �.; AC 13, touch 9, flat-footed
13; Base Atk +3; Grp +13; Atk +8 melee (1d8+9,
gore); Full Atk +8 melee (1d8+9, gore); Space/Reach
10 �./5 �.; SA breath weapon (5d6 fire); SQ low-
light vision, scent, construct traits; AL N; SV Fort
+1, Ref +1, Will +1; Str 22, Dex 10, Con —, Int 2, Wis
11, Cha 4.
Skills and Feats: Listen +7, Spot +5; Alertness,
Endurance.
Breath Weapon (Su): 10 �. cone of 5d6 fire, Reflex
DC 12 half. Useable every 1d4 rounds. The DC is
Constitution based.
Description: This magically animated quartet
of bronze fire-breathing bulls was a gi� from
Hephaestus to king Aeetes of Colchis. Jason of
the Argonauts tied them to a yoke and plowed a
field with dragon’s teeth to win the Golden Fleece
from Aeetes.
Knowledge (history): 10—One of the gods gave
four bronze bulls to a mortal king. 15—the bulls
breathe fire hot enough to kill a man. 20—Jason
yoked them to a plough and sewed a field with
dragon’s teeth to win the Golden Fleece.
Tactics: The bulls normally charge and gore on
the first round of combat, then breathe fire, then
gore until they can breath fire again.
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
Aeetes’ Dragon: CR 8; Large dragon; HD 9d12+45;
hp 103; Init +6; Spd 40 �., climb 20 �., fly 40 �.
(poor); AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 21; Base Atk +9;
Grp +21; Atk +16 melee (1d8+8 plus poison, bite), or
+16 melee (1d6+8, claw); Full Atk +16 melee (1d8+8,
bite), or +16 melee (1d6+8, 2 claws); Space/Reach
10 �./5 �.; SA improved grab, swallow whole,
poison (1d2 Con/1d2 Con, DC 19); SQ darkvision,
immortality, low-light vision, scent, tremorsense 60
�., untiring; AL N; SV Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +9; Str
27, Dex 15, Con 20, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 6.
Skills and Feats: Climb +16, Hide +2, Listen +15,
Move Silently +12, Sense Motive +11, Spot +15;
Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative,
Iron Will.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the dragon
must hit a creature of any size with its bite a�ack.
It can then a�empt to start a grapple as a free
action without provoking an a�ack of opportunity.
If it wins the grapple check, it can swallow the
opponent in the following round.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 19, initial
damage 1d2 Con, secondary damage 1d2 Con. The
save DC is Constitution-based.
Swallow Whole (Ex): The dragon can try to
swallow a grabbed Medium or smaller opponent
by making a successful grapple check. A swallowed
creature takes 2d6+8 points of bludgeoning
damage and 4 points of acid damage per round
from the dragon’s gizzard. A swallowed creature
can cut its way out by using a light slashing or
piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the
gizzard (AC 15). Once the creature exits, muscular
action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent
must cut its own way out. The dragon’s gizzard can
hold 1 Medium, 4 Small, 16 Tiny, or 64 Diminutive
or smaller opponents.
Untiring (Ex): The dragon never needs to sleep,
though it is still susceptible to sleep effects. It is
immune to fatigue and exhaustion.
Description: The dragon that guarded the
Golden Fleece is a dangerous creature that never
needs to sleep. Jason and Medea overcame it only
because she drugged it to sleep. In some stories
it managed to swallow Jason before Medea put
it to sleep and she had to force it to disgorge
him before they could make off with the Golden
Fleece. The stories do not mention the dragon’s
death, and Medea is shown on good terms with
dragons in other stories, so it is quite possible the
dragon that guards the sacred grove in Colchis is
the same one Medea and Jason met.
Knowledge (history): 10—The dragon that guards
the Golden Fleece is a great beast that never sleeps.
15—Its bite is poisonous and it swallows its prey
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
alive like a snake. 20—Jason and Medea passed the
dragon by drugging it to sleep with one of Medea’s
potions.
Tactics: The dragon likes to pretend it is sleeping,
using its tremorsense and scent abilities to keep
track of approaching creatures. It prefers to start
combat with a bite and try to swallow that creature,
therea�er using its claws and bite on whichever
enemy seems the most dangerous.
Alkinous’ Hounds: CR 2; Medium construct; HD
2d10+10; hp 21; Init +2; Spd 50 �.; AC 14, touch 12,
flat-footed 12; Base Atk +1; Grp +2; Atk +3 melee
(1d6+1, bite); Full Atk +3 melee (1d6+1, bite); Space/
Reach 5 �./5 �.; SA trip; SQ construct traits; AL N;
SV Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 13, Dex 15, Con —,
Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6.
Skills and Feats: Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot
+3; TrackB, Weapon Focus (bite).
Skills: *The hounds have a +4 bonus to Survival
checks when tracking by scent.
Trip (Ex): A hound that hits with a bite a�ack
can a�empt to trip the opponent (+1 check
modifier) as a free action without making a touch
a�ack or provoking an a�ack of opportunity. If
the a�empt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip
the hound.
Description: Hephaestus cra�ed these two
animated hound statues (one gold, one silver)
to guard the palace of Alkinous, king of the
Phaiakians, a place Odysseus visited a�er the
Trojan War.
Knowledge (history): 10—Hephaestus gave two
living hound statues, one silver and one gold, to
the palace of a far-away king. 15—The hounds had
no special abilities other than being made of metal.
Amphisbaena: CR 3; Large magical beast; HD
3d10+3; hp 19; Init +8; Spd 20 �., climb 20 �., swim
20 �.; AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 13; Base Atk +3;
Grp +8; Atk +6 melee (1d4+1 plus poison, bite); Full
Atk +6 melee (1d4+1 plus poison, 2 bites); Space/
Reach 10 �./5 �.; SA poison (1d6 Con/1d6 Con, DC
12); SQ dual mind, dual reflexes, scent; AL N; SV
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2; Str 12, Dex 19, Con 13, Int 1,
Wis 12, Cha 2.
Skills and Feats: Balance +12, Climb +9, Hide +8,
Listen +5, Spot +7, Swim +9; Improved Initiative,
Weapon Finesse.
Dual Mind (Ex): The amphisbaena has two
brains, so for all mind-affecting a�acks it counts as
two separate creatures. If a spell or effect can only
affect one of the creature’s heads (such as a charm
monster spell, which affects a single target), the
unaffected head takes control of the entire body. In
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
these situations, the affected head becomes inert
for combat purposes (losing its extra bite a�ack,
if any), and the creature temporarily loses its
dual reflexes ability. Even if one head is charmed
or dominated, the creature does not a�ack itself
or split its a�acks between its normal opponents
and those chosen by its controller. In effect, mind-
affecting a�acks must affect both heads in order to
achieve the normal result (casting two successful
charm monster spells on an amphisbaena brings it
fully under the control of the caster and allows it to
use all of its abilities).
Dual Reflexes (Ex): The creature may make two
a�acks of opportunity per round instead of one
(one per head).
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 12, initial
damage 1d6 Con, secondary damage 1d6 Con. The
save DC is Constitution-based.
Description: An amphisbaena is a snake native to
North Africa with a head on each end of its body.
Knowledge (nature): 10—Two-headed snakes
called amphisbaenas are native to North Africa.
They can crawl forward or backward, and both
heads are poisonous.
Antaeus: CR 4; Medium giant; HD 6d8+35; hp
62; Init +6; Spd 30 �.; AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed
14; Base Atk +4; Grp +15; Atk +11 melee (1d3+7,
slam); Full Atk +11 melee (1d3+7, 2 slams); Space/
Reach 5 �./5 �.; SQ Gaea’s strength, Gaea’s vitality,
immortality; AL N; SV Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +2;
Str 24, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 12.
Skills and Feats: Listen +9, Spot +9; Improved
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
Grapple, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed
StrikeB, Power A�ackB, Toughness.
Gaea’s Strength (Ex): As long as Antaeus is in
contact with the earth, he gains a +4 enhancement
bonus to Strength (included in the above totals).
This ability functions if he stands on earth, stone,
sand, or mud; even a wooden or stone floor of a
building or street is sufficient as long as that is in
contact with the actual ground.
Gaea’s Vitality (Ex): If he is knocked unconscious
or killed while in contact with the earth, Antaeus
is immediately healed to perfect health and can
take actions on his next turn. He can only be
permanently killed if it is done while he is not in
contact with the earth.
Description: The son of Poseidon and Gaea,
Antaeus was a Libyan giant (though no bigger
than a large man) who wrestled anyone who
passed through his domain, using their skulls to
build a great temple to his father. He was slain by
Heracles.
Knowledge (history): 10—Antaeus was a Libyan
giant, son of Gaea, undefeated in wrestling. 15—He
wrestled Heracles and lost. 20—Heracles won by
li�ing Antaeus off the ground, preventing the giant
from drawing strength from his mother the Earth.
Tactics: Antaeus doesn’t like open combat,
preferring to wrestle his opponents one at a
time. He challenges heroes to wrestling matches
rather than chaotic ba�le, refusing to let anyone
pass him on the road unless they agree. In a fight
he grapples one opponent until his enemy is
unconscious or dead.
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
Argus Panoptes: CR 3; Large giant; HD 4d8+8; hp
26; Init +2; Spd 40 �.; AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed
14; Base Atk +3; Grp +12; Atk +8 melee (2d6+7/x3,
masterwork longspear); Full Atk +8 melee (2d6+7/
x3, masterwork longspear); Space/Reach 5 �./10 �.;
SQ immortality, untiring, hundred eyes; AL N; SV
Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +1; Str 21, Dex 14, Con 15, Int
10, Wis 10, Cha 12.
Skills and Feats: Handle Animal +5, Hide -2,
Listen +5, Search +8, Spot +13; Combat Reflexes,
Power A�ack.
Hundred Eyes (Ex): Argus is exceptionally alert.
His many eyes give him a +8 racial bonus on Spot
and Search checks, (included in the above totals)
and he can’t be flanked. Argus has low-light vision
(four times that of a normal human) and he can see
invisible creatures as if using see invisibility.
Untiring (Ex): Argus never needs to sleep,
though he is still susceptible to sleep effects. He is
immune to fatigue and exhaustion.
Description: This giant is a son of Gaea, born
with a hundred eyes placed all over his body. The
perfect watchman and guardian, only two of his
eyes ever need to sleep at the same time, so he
can remain awake and vigilant always. Hera bade
him watch over a white cow given to her by Zeus
(which she rightly suspected of being one of his
lovers transformed to hide his infidelity); Hermes
charmed Argus into sleep with a magic song and
cut off Argus’ head. Hera placed Argus’ eyes onto
the feathers of her favorite bird, the peacock. When
alive, Argus was no more powerful than an ogre,
and was best at watching over something to make
sure it doesn’t get away rather than guarding
something valuable which someone might a�ack
him for.
Knowledge (history): 10—Argus was a hundred-
eyed giant who served the goddess Hera. He was
always on guard, as his eyes could take turns
sleeping. 15—Hermes used a magical song to put
him completely to sleep, then struck off his head.
Tactics: Argus prefers to make use of his reach
and Combat Reflexes feat, repeatedly forcing
enemies to move through the area he can strike
with his spear.
Bacchae (female human Com2): CR 1/2; Medium
humanoid; HD 2d4+4; hp 9; Init +0; Spd 30 �.; AC
8, touch 8, flat-footed 8; Base Atk +1; Grp +3; Atk
+3 melee (1d4+3, claw), or +3 melee (1d4+3/19-20,
dagger); Full Atk +3 melee (1d4+3, claw), or +3
melee (1d4+3/19-20, dagger); Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.;
SA constant rage; SQ animal followers; AL N; SV
Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +2; Str 14, Dex 11, Con 14, Int
10, Wis 11, Cha 11.
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
Hermes and Argus
Skills and Feats: Climb +4, Handle Animal +2,
Listen +2, Spot +2, Use Rope +2; Endurance, Skill
Focus (Profession (farmer)).
Constant Rage (Ex): A bacchae is always in an
enraptured state, u�erly zealous in her devotion
of Dionysus. This has the same effect as a 1st-level
barbarian’s rage (+4 to Strength and Constitution, +2
morale bonus to Will saves, -2 penalty to armor class,
cannot use certain skills or feats), except the rage
never ends voluntarily (these changes are included
in the above statistics). If the bacchae is forced into
a calm state (whether by knocking her unconscious
or using a spell like calm emotions), she suffers the
normal effects of ending a barbarian rage.
Animal Followers (Ex): Bacchae are o�en
accompanied by wild animals, which do not harm
them and join them in any a�acks against other
creatures. The animals do not obey the commands
of the bacchae but do not a�ack them unless
magically forced to.
Description: In some tales, worship of Dionysus
(also known as Bacchus) caused women to go mad
with insight; they would roam the hills, dancing,
cavorting with animals, and indulging in excesses
of wine and sex. These mad women became known
as the Bacchae or Maenads, and were considered
very dangerous by more civilized folk. The
Bacchae would tear apart any person who opposed
them or spoke out against Dionysus (they killed
Orpheus because he wouldn’t stop grieving for his
dead wife and join them in their revels). The god
sometimes cursed his detractors so they joined the
Bacchae in their madness.
Knowledge (history): 10—The Bacchae or
Maenads are wild women devoted to Dionysus.
They tear apart their enemies with their bare
hands. 15—Like the wild beasts that sometimes
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
travel with them, sometimes they kill innocent
people that just happen to be in their way.
Tactics: Bacchae prefer swarm tactics, either
going a�er their foes with nails and teeth (which
are natural a�acks for bacchae rather than
unarmed a�acks) or cooperative grappling to pin
down dangerous opponents so they are more
easily defeated, and either punch or grapple
melee opponents.
Boar Tooth Soldier: These loyal troops are created
by planting a boar soldier tooth† (see Chapter 3:
Magic) in fertile ground. Reasonably skilled but
not too intelligent, boar tooth soldiers are ideal for
holding the line, chasing down something, or other
similar tactics. They look like soldiers dressed in
hoplite armor and colors of the nationality of the
person who planted the tooth (an Athenian makes
soldiers that look like Athenian troops, and so on).
They are u�erly loyal to their creator, and would
walk off a cliff if their creator told them to do so.
Their statistics are identical to a typical Greek
soldier (see below).
Knowledge (history): 10—The old stories tell of
fierce warriors who spring up from the ground
a�er monster’s teeth are planted there. 15—Some
of the stories say that the soldiers may turn on the
person who planted them.
Tactics: Boar tooth soldiers use simple tactics,
eschewing anything fancy. They are smart enough
to move into flanking positions without being told
to do so.
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
Calydonian Boar: CR 4; Large magical beast; HD
7d10+21; hp 59; Init +0; Spd 40 �.; AC 15, touch
9, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +7; Grp +16; Atk +11
melee (1d8+7, gore); Full Atk +11 melee (1d8+7,
gore); Space/Reach 10 �./5 �.; SA ferocity; SQ fast
healing 5, low-light vision, scent; AL N; SV Fort
+8, Ref +5, Will +5; Str 20, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 2,
Wis 13, Cha 8.
Skills and Feats: Listen +8, Spot +8; Alertness,
Endurance, Iron Will.
Ferocity (Ex): A Calydonian boar is such a
tenacious combatant that it continues to fight
without penalty even while disabled or dying.
Using the Slower Dying variant rule, it continues to
fight until it reaches -17 hit points or lower.
Description: The original Calydonian boar was
sent by Athena in revenge a�er the king forgot to
include her name when he made sacrifices to the
gods. The boar’s tusks were as big as an elephant’s
and its bristled hide seemed invulnerable to
weapons. It is very similar in appearance to a
dire boar, though it looks like an extremely large
normal boar rather than a prehistoric or demonic
giant boar.
Knowledge (history): 10—The original Calydonian
boar was sent by a goddess to punish a king for
forge�ing her in a sacrifice. 15—More than a dozen
heroes gathered to kill the boar, and it quickly
killed seven of them. 20—Only a well-placed arrow
from a female hero named Atalanta stalled it long
enough for prince Meleager, the greatest spearman
in the land, to run it through.
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
Tactics: The boar is very aggressive and usually
charges into ba�le. If wounded below 20 hp,
it runs away until it is fully healed (though its
ferocity ability overrides this if it is brought to 0
hit points or lower).
Centaur: CR 3; Large monstrous humanoid; HD
4d8+8; hp 26; Init +2; Spd 50 �.; AC 14, touch
11, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +4; Grp +12; Atk +7
melee (1d8+4/19-20, longsword), or +6 ranged
(1d6/x3, shortbow); Full Atk +7 melee (1d8+4/19-
20, longsword), +2 melee (1d6+2, 2 hooves), or +6
ranged (1d6/x3, shortbow); Space/Reach 10 �./5 �.;
SQ darkvision; AL N; SV Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +5;
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 11.
Skills and Feats: Listen +4, Spot +4, Survival +2;
Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (shortbow).
Description: Unlike the MM centaur, Greek
centaurs are boorish, rude, drunk, rapacious
brutes that eat raw meat, crash parties and
weddings, and try to run off with women. They
originated in Thessaly (home of the Lapith
people) and are the sons of Thessaly’s king Ixion
and a cloud (sent by Zeus to fool Ixion, who
lusted a�er Hera).
Knowledge (history): 10—Centaurs are brutish
monsters that are o�en drunk and like to steal
mortal women to bear their young. 15—They are
technically part of some royal family, though they
are an annoyance even in their homeland and are
tolerated only grudgingly. 20—Their lineage goes
back to king Ixion of Thessaly, who sought Hera for
a bride and was tricked by Zeus into fathering the
centaurs with a cloud.
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
Tactics: Centaurs shout insults at their opponents
and use their bows as much as possible. If seriously
wounded, they run away.
Cerberean Hound; CR 5; Large magical beast
(cold); HD 6d10+18; hp 51; Init +5; Spd 50 �.; AC 15,
touch 10, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +6; Grp +14; Atk
+9 melee (1d8+4 plus 1d6 cold, bite) or +6 ranged
touch (poison, tail spray); Full Atk +9 melee (1d8+4
plus 1d6 cold, bite), +1 ranged touch (poison, tail
spray); Space/Reach 10 �./5 �.; SA trip, breath
weapon (4d6 cold); SQ darkvision, cold immunity,
low-light vision, poison, scent, fire vulnerability;
AL NE; SV Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3; Str 18, Dex 13,
Con 16, Int 9, Wis 13, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: Hide -1, Listen +6, Move Silently
+7, Spot +6; Alertness, Improved Initiative, Track.
Breath Weapon (Su): 15 �. cone of 4d6 cold, Reflex
DC 16 half. Useable every 1d4 rounds. The DC is
Constitution based.
Fire Vulnerability: The Cerberean hound takes
half again as much (+50%) damage as normal
from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is
allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
Poison (Ex): Contact, Fortitude DC 16, initial
and secondary damage 1 Con. The save DC is
Constitution-based.
Scent (Ex): The Cerberean hound can detect
approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and
track by sense of smell (30 �. range).
Trip (Ex): A Cerberean hound that hits with a
bite a�ack can a�empt to trip the opponent (+8
check modifier) as a free action without making a
touch a�ack or provoking an a�ack of opportunity.
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
If the a�empt fails, the opponent cannot react to
trip the hound.
Description: This monster was created for
this book; in a campaign where the old mythic
creatures are dying out, Cerberus has been slain by
some great hero of the past, and now the gates to
Hades’ realm are guarded by his two sons. These
large hounds breathe cold like the chill of the
grave, and though they lack their father’s poisoned
snake-tail, their tails secret poison, which they flick
at their enemies. Cerberean hounds have black fur
with gray-white ends, and their tails are green and
slick with their natural poisons.
Knowledge (history): 10—No information. 15—It’s
possible that Cerberus has monstrous offspring of
his own, and they might have powers relating to
his snaky tail and the underworld.
Tactics: Cerberean hounds start with their breath
weapons, then bite and tail-poison opponents,
tripping if possible. As they’re immune to cold,
they’re not cautious about catching each other in
their breath weapon areas.
Cerberus: CR 5; Large magical beast; HD 6d10+18;
hp 51; Init +2; Spd 50 �.; AC 17, touch 11, flat-
footed 15; Base Atk +6; Grp +17; Atk +13 melee
(1d8+7, bite); Full Atk +13 melee (1d8+7, 3 bites), +7
melee (1d6+3 plus poison, snake tail); Space/Reach
10 �./5 �.; SA trip, poison (1d6 Con/1d6 Con, DC
16); SQ immortality, low-light vision, scent; AL N;
SV Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3; Str 25, Dex 15, Con 17,
Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: Hide +0, Listen +11, Move
Silently +4, Spot +11, Survival +2; Alertness, Run,
TrackB, Weapon Focus (bite).
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 16, initial
damage 1d6 Con, secondary damage 1d6 Con. The
save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: Cerberus has a +2 bonus to Hide and
Move Silently checks, a +4 bonus to Listen and Spot
checks, and a +4 bonus to Survival checks when
tracking by scent.
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
Trip (Ex): If Cerberus hits with a bite a�ack
he can a�empt to trip his opponent (+13 check
modifier) as a free action without making a touch
a�ack or provoking an a�ack of opportunity. If
the a�empt fails, the opponent cannot react to
trip him.
Description: Cerberus is a huge and ugly dog as
big as a dire wolf, with three heads and a snake
instead of a tail. His main purpose at the gate to the
underworld is to keep the dead from escaping, but
he sometimes challenges the rare living creature
that tries to get in.
Knowledge (history): 10—Cerberus is the three-
headed dog guarding the gate to the underworld.
15—His tail was a poisonous snake, and he kept
the dead from escaping back into the world.
Tactics: Cerberus takes advantage of his three
heads by making trip a�empts until an enemy
falls prone, then using his remaining a�acks on
the prone creature. He’s rather single-minded in
his a�acks, preferring to kill one opponent before
dealing with other enemies (although he will move
to keep creatures from flanking him).
Charon: CR 4; Medium monstrous humanoid; HD
8d8+8; hp 44; Init +4; Spd 30 �., fly 30 �. (poor); AC
20, touch 14, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +8; Grp +9;
Atk +9 melee (1d6+1, quarterstaff); Full Atk +9/+4
melee (1d6+1, quarterstaff); Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.;
SQ immortality, fast healing 10, unsinkable; AL LE;
SV Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +8; Str 13, Dex 18, Con 12,
Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 12.
Skills and Feats: Balance +6, Escape Artist +6,
Intimidate +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Listen +9,
Profession (boatsman) +5, Sense Motive +10, Spot
+5; Agile, Improved Bull Rush, Power A�ack.
Fast Healing (Ex): Charon regains 10 hit points
per round. Fast healing does not restore hit points
lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and it
does not allow a creature to regrow or rea�ach lost
body parts.
Skills: Charon has a +4 racial bonus to Listen and
Sense Motive checks.
Unsinkable (Su): While he remains within
it, Charon has absolute control over the boat’s
direction and speed, and it cannot sink while he
is steering it. He cannot be removed from the boat
against his will or made to leave it in any way.
Description: Charon is the ferryman of the dead,
carrying spirits across the Styx if they were buried
or cremated with a coin in their mouth, leaving
them to wander the banks forever if they don’t.
He appears an ugly older man with a grim face,
conical hat, crooked nose, and a beard, though
some see him as a winged fiend with snakes for
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
hair (as a demon of the underworld, both may be
his true form).
Knowledge (history): 10—Charon is the ferryman
who takes souls across the Styx to the underworld.
He won’t carry anyone unless they pay the toll of
one coin. 15—Charon has ferried heroes across
the Styx in the past, and charged them a coin for
passage in each direction.
Tactics: Charon prefers to deal with violent
passengers by bull rushing them into the Styx. If
frustrated in his a�empts to push opponents into
the river, he flies away with his pole, leaving his
passengers to dri� helplessly until they land on
one bank or the other (randomly, 1d6 hours later).
Cyclopes, Greater: CR 7; Large giant; HD 12d8+48;
hp 102; Init -1; Spd 40 �.; AC 17, touch 8, flat-
footed 17; Base Atk +9; Grp +19; Atk +15 melee
(1d4+6, slam); Full Atk +15 melee (1d4+6, 2 slams);
Space/Reach 10 �./10 �.; SQ cra� thunderbolts,
immortality; AL N; SV Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +4; Str
22, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 7.
Skills and Feats: Climb +7, Hide -5, Jump +7, Listen
+4, Spot +6; Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved
Sunder, Power A�ack, Weapon Focus (slam).
Cra� Thunderbolts (Su): Arges, Brontes, and
Steropes may cra� thunderbolts and greater
51
bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
thunderbolts (see Chapter 3: Magic) as if they met all
prerequisites for cra�ing that magic item.
Description: The first three cyclopes (Arges,
Brontes, and Steropes) were children of Gaea, born
in the era of titans. Cast into Tartarus by Uranos
because they were ugly, the gods freed them and
in gratitude the cyclopes forged weapons for the
upcoming fight against the titans, including Zeus’
thunderbolts. When Asclepius had the audacity to
raise the dead, Zeus killed him with a thunderbolt;
this angered Asclepius’ father Apollo, and though
he could not retaliate against Zeus, he could
retaliate against those who made the thunderbolt,
and slew one of the cyclopes (and was punished
for this murder by Zeus, who forced him to be
a servant to a mortal for one year). The cyclopes
presented here represent them greatly weakened
and their minds dulled, probably due to some
unknown transgression against the gods or a
weakening of the mythic powers in the world. For
full-power cyclopes, use storm giant statistics but
without spell-like abilities or water breathing.
Knowledge (history): 10—The cyclopes are great
one-eyed giants, skilled at building and forging,
and as old as the ancient titans. They made Zeus’
thunderbolts. 15—There are stories of less gi�ed
cyclopes who herd sheep in the world instead of
forging with Hephaestus, but they are a different
breed. 20—Apollo is said to have killed one of the
three cyclopes as vengeance for the thunderbolt
that killed his son Asclepius.
Tactics: The cyclopes normally carry at least 4
thunderbolts with them, and they strike first with
those at long range. In melee they pound enemies
with their fists. Their diminished intellect isn’t
enough to make them forget their earlier days
of glory, and they bi�erly fight to the death, not
fearing the a�erlife.
Cyclopes, Lesser: These more common cyclopes
tended sheep and goats on one of the islands visited
by Odysseus. Brutish and without the godly powers
of their greater cyclopes kin, they ate human flesh
just as readily as they ate animals. Use the statistics
for the greater cyclopes (above) to represent these
cruder specimens, except they lack immortality.
Knowledge (history): 10—A more numerous
tribe of cyclopes is said to herd sheep on one of
the Aegean islands. Unlike the giants who forge
Zeus’ thunderbolts, these giants are no smarter or
skilled than a man, hold to no laws or gods, and eat
human flesh.
Tactics: The lesser cyclopes carry no thunderbolts,
and are content to bash their enemies to death with
their bare hands.
 Chapter Eight: Monsters

Erinyes: CR 4; Medium monstrous humanoid;

HD 6d8+12; hp 39; Init +6; Spd 30 �., fly 60 �.
(good); AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14; Base Atk
+6; Grp +8; Atk +8 melee (1d8+3, scourge), or +8
melee (1d3+3 plus poison, scourge); Full Atk +8/+3
melee (1d8+3, scourge), or +8/+3 melee (1d3+3 plus
poison, scourge); Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.; SA poison
(1d6 Con/1d6 Con, DC 10); SQ immortality, track
the guilty, kindly punishment, DR 5/—; AL LN;
SV Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +7; Str 14, Dex 14, Con 14,
Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 12.
Skills and Feats: Intimidate +5, Knowledge
(religion) +5, Listen +11, Search +5, Sense Motive
+5, Spot +13; Alertness, Flyby A�ack, Improved
Initiative, Improved TripB.
Kindly Punishment (Su): Erinyes are tasked
with punishing the guilty, not with murder. If
they so choose, none of their a�acks (including
that of their snake-weapons and their poison)
deal enough damage to kill their target, though
the target can still be knocked unconscious due
to the damage and suffers the pain of the a�acks
normally even if they inflict no damage.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 10, initial
damage 1d6 Con, secondary damage 1d6 Con.
The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: *Erinyes get a +4 racial bonus to
intimidate checks.
Track the Guilty (Su): The erinyes are given the
power to sense their chosen prey and can track Cronus castrated Uranos and the sky-god’s blood
them at any distance. This is the equivalent of fell on Gaea. They may be immortal.
an 8th-level spell for the purposes of evading or Tactics: As embodiments of vengeance for
blocking the erinyes’ ability to track in this manner. horrible crimes, erinyes are dauntless and
Description: The Erinyes (Alecto “Unceasing gleefully wade into combat with their weapons.
One,” Megaira “She Who Holds a Grudge,” and If a�acked by something other than their prey,
Tisiphone “Avenger of Murder”), are three fierce- an erinyes is likely to lash at it once or twice as a
looking winged women with snakes for hair. deterrent so they can deal with their prey, but turn
Created when the blood from castrated Uranos on a�ackers who persist, as all children are guilty
fell upon Gaea, they exist for vengeance and of some crime against their parents (no ma�er
retribution, particularly for crimes of children how small or pe�y) and thus deserve punishment
against their parents. Also known as “the Kindly if prompted.
Ones,” the Erinyes beat their prey with scourges
(whips that deal normal damage and can harm Erymanthian Boar: A great boar that ravaged the
creatures with natural armor) and snakes, driving farmlands of Erymanthia. Heracles brought it back
them to madness and despair until the ritual of alive as his fourth labor. Use dire boar statistics.
purification cleansed them of their sins. Because
they are technically minor goddesses, it is possible Euryale, female gorgon (medusa): CR 3; Medium
that mortals cannot kill them, or they are reborn monstrous humanoid; HD 6d8+6; hp 33; Init +6;
in Hades to serve again if somehow killed. Spd 30 �.; AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13; Base Atk
Knowledge (history): 10—The erinyes are minor +6; Grp +6; Atk +8 ranged (1d6/x3, shortbow), or +8
goddesses or spirits of punishment, usually for melee (1d4/19-20, dagger), or +8 melee (1d4 plus
crimes by children against their parents. 15— poison, snakes); Full Atk +8/+3 ranged (1d6/x3,
They beat their prey with scourges as a ritual of shortbow), or +8/+3 melee (1d4/19-20, dagger), +3
purification cleans the victims of their sins against melee (1d4 plus poison, snakes); Space/Reach 5 �./5
mortals and the gods. 20—They were born when �.; SA petrifying gaze, poison (1d6 Str/2d6 Str, DC

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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
14); SQ darkvision, immortality; AL N; SV Fort +3,
Ref +7, Will +6; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis
13, Cha 15.
Skills and Feats: Bluff +9, Diplomacy +4, Disguise
+9 (+2 acting), Intimidate +4, Move Silently +8,
Sleight of Hand +4, Spot +8; Improved Initiative,
Point Blank Shot, Weapon Finesse.
Petrifying Gaze (Su): Euryale’s gaze a�ack slowly
turns creatures to stone. Any creature that fails
a saving throw against the gaze gets a -2 penalty
to Dexterity and -1 penalty to a�ack rolls (these
penalties are cumulative). The gaze a�ack has a
range of 30 �., Fortitude DC 13 negates. The save
DC is Charisma-based with a –2 penalty.
Poison (Ex): Contact, Fortitude DC 14, initial
damage 1 Con, secondary damage 1 Con. The save
DC is Constitution-based.
Description: Euryale and Sthenno were the two
immortal gorgons (using the original meaning of the
word, not the armored smoke-breathing bull in the
MM), born of the obscure sea-god Phorcus and his
monstrous sister Ceto. Hideous and evil, these two
monsters took in the similar-looking transformed
mortal Medusa, who was later killed by Perseus.
In many tales the gorgons had wings; for winged
gorgons, give them a fly speed 40 �. and good
maneuverability. The Euryale presented here is a
weakened form of the normal creature, possibly as
a result in the overall decline of mythic creatures in
the world as civilization advanced (or as Euryale put
it in the Argonauts playtest campaign, “We are not
as immortal as we used to be”).
In an Argonauts campaign where the world’s
magic is still strong and the vitality of myth in
full force, use the MM version of the medusa
instead of the weaker version presented here, and
consider adding DR 10/adamantine or fast healing
5 to represent Euryale’s full immortality. In an
Argonauts campaign where Euryale and Sthenno
are full-powered and immortal, use the MM
medusa statistics for the mortal Medusa (no DR or
fast healing for Medusa, who was a mortal cursed
by Athena for having sex at the goddess’ shrine).
In the Greek myths, Pegasus sprang from
Medusa’s decapitated neck, and was an immortal
winged horse. Zeus used Pegasus to carry his
thunderbolts into ba�le.
Knowledge (history): 10—The three gorgons are
hideous monster women whose faces are so ugly
they turn any who look at them to stone. 15—Two
of the gorgons are immortal; one was mortal, and
slain by the hero Perseus.
Tactics: The weakened Euryale presented here
prefers to get close to her opponents, keeping her
head hooded to disguise her nature, then striking
53
bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
with her dagger and snakes from close range,
le�ing her dire gaze wear down her opponents. She
likes to take advantage of her darkvision, luring
heroes into the depths of caves and away from the
light of a sun or lamp (even though this means she
can’t use her gaze a�ack on them, it forces all of her
opponents to a�ack her blindly). A full-powered
Euryale uses her petrifying gaze first, then moving
in close (or even flying, if she has wings) to feel
the blood spraying from her enemies; she avoids
total darkness as her full-power gaze a�ack is only
effective if her enemies can see her.
False Oracle Guards (male human War2): CR 1;
Medium humanoid; HD 2d8+2; hp 11; Init +0; Spd
20 �.; AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17; Base Atk +2;
Grp +3; Atk +4 melee (1d8+1/19-20, longsword),
or +2 melee (1d6+1/x3, shortspear), or +2 thrown
(1d6+1, javelin); Full Atk +4 melee (1d8+1/19-20,
longsword), or +2 melee (1d6+1/x3, shortspear), or
+2 thrown (1d6+1, javelin); Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.;
AL NE; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 13, Dex 11,
Con 12, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Skills and Feats: Handle Animal +1, Intimidate +2,
Listen +2, Spot +2; Alertness, Combat ExpertiseB,
Weapon Focus (longsword).
Description: These six men are lackluster soldiers
who fell in with the old gorgons (Euryale and
Sthenno) who promised them gold in exchange
for swearing on the Styx that they would serve
the monsters loyally. Their arms (longsword,
shortspear, and 2 javelins) and armor (breastplate
and large steel shield) are ill-kept and dirty, and
they are from many city-states, having put aside
their differences in the name of greed. These men
play a part in the sample Argonauts campaign
presented in Chapter 7: Running the Game.
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
Knowledge (history): 10—The Oracle is said to
have loyal men as guards as well as a great snake
that protects her.
Tactics: The guards use simple military tactics,
trying to flank opponents without ge�ing too far
from the entrance to the Oracle’s cave.
Geryon: CR 7; Large giant; HD 10d8+50; hp 95;
Init +4; Spd 30 �.; AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed
16; Base Atk +7; Grp +16; Atk +12 melee (2d6+5,
greatsword), or +6 thrown (1d8+5, javelin); Full Atk
+12 melee (2d6+5, 3 greatswords), or +6 thrown
(1d8+5, 3 javelins); Space/Reach 5 �./10 �.; SQ
immortality, superior two-weapon fighting; AL N;
SV Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +5; Str 20, Dex 10, Con 20,
Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 12.
Skills and Feats: Diplomacy +5, Handle Animal
+5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Listen +10, Profession
(herdsman) +5, Search +10, Spot +10; Alertness,
Improved Initiative, Power A�ack, Weapon Focus
(greatsword).
Skills: Geryon’s three heads give him a +4 racial
bonus to Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
Superior Two-Weapon Fighting (Ex): Geryon fights
with a greatsword or javelin in each hand. Because
each of his three heads controls an arm, he does
not take a penalty on a�ack or damage rolls for
a�acking with three weapons.
Description: Geryon was the monstrous giant
son of the rain-goddess Callirhoe and a mortal son
of Medusa named Chrysaor. Geryon is no taller
than a man but has three complete bodies fused
at the waist, all fully armored and helmed. He
carries three weapons and three shields. Though
monstrous, he was civilized, and content to live out
his life herding ca�le in a far land. Heracles was
sent to capture Geryon’s ca�le as one of his labors,
and when Geryon a�acked to prevent the the�,
Heracles killed him.
Knowledge (history): 10—Geryon was a triple-
bodied giant who guarded a great herd of ca�le.
15—Heracles killed Geryon and his two-headed
dog Orthos as part of one of his heroic labors.
Tactics: Despite his powerful ancestry, Geryon
has li�le experience in combat and normally
charges into ba�le with all three of his weapons
and loyal Orthos at his side.
Greek Noble (male human Ari2): CR 1; Medium
humanoid; HD 2d8; hp 9; Init +1; Spd 30 �.; AC 11,
touch 11, flat-footed 10; Base Atk +1; Grp +1; Atk
+1 melee (1d4/19-20, dagger); Full Atk +1 melee
(1d4/19-20, dagger); Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.; AL LN;
SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +3; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10,
Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 12.
54
bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
Skills and Feats: Bluff +8, Diplomacy +10,
Intimidate +6, Knowledge (nobility and royalty)
+5, Ride +2, Sense Motive +7, Sleight of Hand +3;
Negotiator, Persuasive.
Description: These are the court nobles of
Greece, trained in weapons but not ba�le-
hardened like the warrior-kings in the great
stories. Most are more concerned with politics
and intrigue than heroics and ba�les, content to
have their guards do the fighting for them, but
there are some who are true leaders, and these
tend to have levels in fighter in addition to what is
presented here.
Greek Officer (male human Ftr4): CR 4; Medium
humanoid; HD 4d10+8; hp 30; Init +2; Spd 20
�.; AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17; Base Atk +4;
Grp +6; Atk +8 melee (1d8+4/19-20, masterwork
longsword), or +6 melee (1d6+2/x3, halfspear),
or +6 thrown (1d6+2, javelin); Full Atk +8 melee
(1d8+4/19-20, masterwork longsword), or +6
melee (1d6+2/x3, halfspear), or +6 thrown (1d6+2,
javelin); Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.; AL LN; SV Fort +5,
Ref +2, Will +2; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis
12, Cha 12.
Skills and Feats: Handle Animal +2, Heal +4,
Jump +4, Listen +3, Ride +3, Spot +4; Alertness,
Combat ExpertiseB, Counter Combat Style (one-
handed weapon fighting)†B, Defensive Stance†B,
Power A�ack, Weapon Focus (longsword),
Weapon Specialization (longsword)B.
Description: These men are the ba�le-hardened
leaders of Greek troops. Their equipment is a cut
above the common career soldier (masterwork
armor, shield, and longsword) and their morale is
high. An officer of this quality might lead anywhere
from six to twenty soldiers (normally ten).
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
Greek Soldier (male human Ftr2): CR 2; Medium
humanoid; HD 2d10+2; hp 13; Init +2; Spd 20 �.;
AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17; Base Atk +2; Grp
+4; Atk +5 melee (1d8+2/19-20, longsword), or
+4 melee (1d6+2/x3, shortspear), or +4 thrown
(1d6+2, javelin); Full Atk +5 melee (1d8+2/19-20,
longsword), or +4 melee (1d6+2/x3, shortspear), or
+4 thrown (1d6+2, javelin); Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.;
AL LN; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 14,
Con 13, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: Heal +2, Jump +0, Listen +3, Spot
+3; Alertness, Combat ExpertiseB, Counter Combat
Style (one-handed weapon fighting)†B, Defensive
Stance†B, Weapon Focus (longsword).
Description: The above statistics should be used
for any career Greek soldier (no ma�er what city-
state) with some experience in combat. These
soldiers wear breastplate armor and large steel
shield, and carry a longsword, shortspear, and 2
javelins. Part-time soldiers (Greeks who own their
own armor and weapons but do work other than
soldiering on a daily basis) are usually 2nd-level
warriors; use the statistics for the False Oracle
Guards, above.
Hecatoncheire: CR 12; Huge giant; HD 19d8+114;
hp 199; Init +6; Spd 50 �.; AC 22, touch 10, flat-
footed 20; Base Atk +14; Grp +36; Atk +27 melee
(1d6+14, slam), or +14 thrown (2d6+14, rock); Full
Atk +27 melee (1d6+14, 8 slams), or +14 thrown
(2d6+14, 8 rocks); Space/Reach 15 �./15 �.; SA
rain of stone, rock throwing; SQ immortality, rock
catching; AL N; SV Fort +17, Ref +8, Will +11; Str 39,
Dex 14, Con 23, Int 16, Wis 20, Cha 11.
Skills and Feats: Cra� (weaponsmithing) +13,
Diplomacy +10, Hide -6, Intimidate +10, Jump +24,
Knowledge (religion) +13, Listen +33, Search +21, Spot
+33, Survival +15, Tumble +4; Cleave, Great Cleave,
Improved Bull Rush, Improved Grapple, Improved
Initiative, Power A�ack, Weapon Focus (slam).
Rain of Stone (Ex): As a standard action a
hecatoncheire can hurl dozens of boulders as an
area a�ack. This a�ack affects a cone 400 �. long
and deals 20d6 bludgeoning damage (Reflex half
DC 21). The DC is Reflex-based; the DC decreases
by 2 for every 100 feet of distance between the
target and the giant (so the save is DC 19 for
creatures 100 feet away, DC 17 for creatures 200
feet away, and so on).
Rock Throwing (Ex): A hecatoncheire can throw
up to eight targeted rocks as a standard action.
Each rock weighs 60-80 pounds (Medium objects).
Its range increment is 180 feet.
Rock Catching (Ex): A hecatoncheire can catch
Small, Medium, or Large rocks (or projectiles
55
bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
of similar shape). Up to eight times per round,
a hecatoncheire that would normally be hit by
a rock can make a Reflex save to catch it as a
free action. The DC is 15 for a Small rock, 20 for
a Medium one, and 25 for a Large one. (If the
projectile provides a magical bonus on a�ack
rolls, the DC increases by that amount.) The giant
must be ready for and aware of the a�ack in order
to make a rock catching a�empt. A hecatoncheire
gains a +8 racial bonus on its Reflex save when
a�empting to catch a thrown rock.
Skills: Hecatoncheires have a +8 racial bonus to
Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
Description: These three monstrous children
of Gaea—Briareus, Gyes, and Ko�os—each have
one hundred arms and fi�y heads. Cursing their
ugliness, Uranos imprisoned the “hundred-
handed ones” in Tartarus, but Zeus and the gods
later freed them and with their help won the ba�le
against the titans. The hecatoncheires may appear
monstrous and brutish, but they are intelligent
and noble like the best of the titans. Now they
guard the gates of Tartarus, preventing the escape
of the most evil titans who refused to make peace
with Zeus and be freed.
Knowledge (history): 10—The hecatoncheires
(“hundred-handed ones”) are the younger brothers
of the titans. Each is of huge size and has a hundred
arms and fi�y heads. 15—Uranos imprisoned them
in Tartarus because they were so hideous, but Zeus
and the gods freed them to help in the ba�le against
the titans. 20—Loyal to the gods, the three brothers
now guard the gates to Tartarus.
Tactics: The hecatoncheires throw boulders at
their far-off enemies, and either punch or grapple
melee opponents.
Hydra (5 heads): CR 4; Large magical beast; HD
5d10+30; hp 57; Init +1; Spd 20 �., swim 20 �.;
AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +5; Grp
+12; Atk +7 melee (1d8+3, bite); Full Atk +7 melee
(1d8+3, 5 bites); Space/Reach 10 �./10 �.; SQ hydra
defenses, darkvision, fast healing 15, immortality,
low-light vision, scent; AL N; SV Fort +9, Ref +5,
Will +3; Str 17, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 9.
Skills and Feats: Hide -3, Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim
+11; Combat ReflexesB, Iron Will, Toughness.
Fast Healing (Ex): The hydra regains 15 hit points
per round (damage to the body only). Fast healing
does not restore hit points lost from starvation,
thirst, or suffocation, and it does not allow a
creature to regrow or rea�ach lost body parts.
Hydra Defenses (Ex): A hydra can only by slain
by severing all of its heads with slashing weapons
or by slaying its body (targeted effects cannot
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
affect heads unless they deal slashing damage and
could be used to make sunder a�empts). The body
has fast healing, the heads do not. All area a�acks
and a�acks not specifically directed at a head
only affect the body. A�acking a head counts as a
sundering a�empt (which provokes an a�ack of
opportunity unless the a�acker has the Improved
Sunder feat), which must be declared before the
a�ack is rolled. Each of the hydra’s five heads
has 11 hit points. Losing a head deals 5 points of
damage to the body; a reflex causes the arteries of
the neck to close, preventing further damage from
the severed head. Severing a head prevents the
hydra from a�acking with that head but causes no
other penalties. When a head is severed, roll 1d4
to determine how many rounds later that stump
sprouts two new heads with 11 hit points each.
The hydra cannot have more than 10 heads at any
time. To prevent heads from regrowing, 5 points
of fire or acid damage must be applied to the
stump (a touch a�ack to hit) before the new heads
appear (flaming and flaming burst weapons deal this
damage automatically if used to a�ack a head). Fire
or acid area a�acks can burn multiple stumps at
once as well as damaging the body.
Description: The MM hydra is based on the
original Greek hydra, which was a unique female
Greek monster born of Echidna and Typhon,
defeated by Heracles as one of his twelve labors.
The original hydra had nine heads and its breath
was so poisonous that it killed anything that came
close to it. One of its heads was immortal and could
not be killed, so Heracles buried the severed head
under a rock. The hydra above represents a slightly
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
different version of the MM hydra (using the slight
rule changes in this book to Toughness and so on).
To make this hydra or one of the MM hydras
more deadly, give it a poisonous bite (1d6 Con/
1d6 Con, Fortitude negates DC 10 + 1/2 HD +
Constitution modifier), a cloud of poisonous breath
in and around its space to a reach of 5 �. (same DC
as the bite poison, those in the area must save once
per round), and +10 hit points to the neck with the
immortal head (which gives that head more time
to recover with fast healing), increasing the CR
by +2. The Greek hydra’s blood was also deadly
poison and weapons dipped in its blood could kill
with a scratch (see the Magic chapter). The stories
disagree on how many heads the hydra had (many
say 9 but some say 50), so consider removing the
ten-head limit to create a truly monstrous and
terrifying hydra (though it’s reasonable only a
limited number of its heads should be able to
a�ack any particular creature).
Knowledge (history): 10—The hydra is a swamp-
dwelling beast with many heads, and each time
you cut off a head it grows another two in its place.
15—The only way to keep a head from regrowing
is to sear the neck with fire or acid. (Optional,
powerful hydra only) A hydra’s breath is poisonous
to anyone who comes near it. 20—One of the
hydra’s heads is immortal and its body cannot be
killed while that head remains in place.
Tactics: Though not good at hiding, hydras are
smart enough to wait in pools of water in their
natural swampy habitat, concealing most of their
body and appearing to be nothing more than a
large snake (they usually array their heads in
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
different directions so they can look all around
without appearing to be a snake den). They charge
at any creature big enough to eat and may focus
their a�acks on one creature or split them up if
they’re taking damage from multiple enemies.
Kaukasian Eagle: CR 3; Large magical beast; HD
4d10+4; hp 26; Init +3; Spd 10 �., fly 80 �. (average);
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +4; Grp
+12; Atk +7 melee (1d6+4, claw); Full Atk +7 melee
(1d6+4, 2 claws), +2 melee (1d8+2, bite); Space/
Reach 10 �./5 �.; SQ evasion, immortality, low-light
vision; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3; Str 18, Dex
17, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: Hide -1, Listen +8, Spot +11;
Alertness, Flyby A�ack.
Description: The titan Prometheus was punished
for giving the gi� of fire to mankind, and the
gods had him chained to the top of the Caucasus
Mountains, where a giant eagle (some stories say a
vulture) visited every day and devoured his liver.
At night Prometheus’ liver grew back, and every
day the eagle tore it out again. Though Heracles
eventually freed Prometheus, the eagle still flies
and may be encountered by wandering heroes.
Knowledge (history): 10—A monstrous eagle was
sent every day to tear the immortal liver from the
titan Prometheus, who was punished by the gods
for teaching mankind to use fire.
Krommyonian Sow: A great sow named Phaia,
which killed many men, and some stories say it is
the mother of the Calydonian boar; Theseus killed
it. Use dire boar statistics.
Lamia: CR 2; Medium monstrous humanoid; HD
4d8; hp 18; Init +6; Spd 30 �.; AC 14, touch 12, flat-
footed 12; Base Atk +4; Grp +4; Atk +5 melee (1d6
and 1 Constitution damage, claw); Full Atk +5 melee
(1d6 and 1 Constitution damage, 2 claws); Space/
Reach 5 �./5 �.; SA improved grab (claw, Medium or
smaller); SQ disguise self, darkvision, immortality,
low-light vision; AL N; SV Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +6;
Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 18.
Skills and Feats: Diplomacy +6, Gather
Information +6, Listen +9, Sense Motive +5, Spot +9;
Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (claw).
Disguise Self (Su): The lamia can use illusion to
make herself appear as a beautiful human woman.
This ability functions like the disguise self spell,
except she can only appear as a human woman.
She can use this ability at will.
Description: Lamias are evil creatures that
seduce men and (once the man falls asleep) feasts
on their blood or flesh. From the waist up they’re
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human, but instead of legs they have a snake tail.
Lamias use their magic to disguise their nature
from their prey. These creatures are considered
demons by the Greeks, and don’t surround
themselves with weak-willed former victims like
the MM lamia (they eat their victims).
Knowledge (history): 10—The lamia is a kind of
demon that disguises herself as a beautiful woman
so she can seduce men and eat them. 15—In her
real form, a lamia has a snake tail instead of legs.
Tactics: Lamia prefer to avoid direct combat with
multiple opponents, choosing to single out a male
target, lure him away from his friends to a private
place, and a�ack him once he’s fallen asleep.
Manticore: The manticore mentioned in ancient
Greek texts is actually a Persian monster similar
to the MM manticore except that it has no wings
and its tail is a scorpion’s stinger with multiple
poisoned barbs. It can hurl these barbs just like the
MM manticore can, and also uses its tail in melee.
To create a Persian manticore, remove the wings
and fly speed, and add a tail a�ack as a secondary
a�ack (same a�ack bonus as the bite) that deals 1d6
damage plus 1/2 Strength bonus and poison. Its
poison deals 1d6 Con/1d6 Con, Fortitude negates
(DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Constitution modifier). The
poison applies to melee a�acks with the stinger and
to flung spikes (each spike is poisoned, so a creature
struck multiple times must a�empt a save for each).
Increase the monster’s CR by +1 for this variant.
Knowledge (history): 10—The manticore is a
Persian monster with a lion’s body, a man’s head,
and a scorpion’s tail. 15—It can speak, fling
poisonous barbs from its tail, and prefers the taste
of human flesh.
Tactics: Lacking flight, a Persian manticore
usually lies in wait for creatures to wander past
it, striking them down with a volley of spikes
and pouncing upon any creature weakened by
its poison. Sometimes it is an active hunter, going
a�er herd animals (or groups of humans) in the
manner of lion, except that it uses its poisoned
spikes to fell any creature rather than seeking out
the weak and infirm.
Nemean Lion: CR 4; Large magical beast; HD
5d10+10; hp 37; Init +3; Spd 40 �.; AC 15, touch 12,
flat-footed 12; Base Atk +5; Grp +14; Atk +9 melee
(1d4+5, claw); Full Atk +9 melee (1d4+5, 2 claws),
+4 melee (1d8+2, bite); Space/Reach 10 �./5 �.; SA
improved grab (bite), invulnerable skin, pounce,
rake 1d4+2; SQ immortality, DR 15/—, low-light
vision, scent; AL N; SV Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2; Str
21, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6.
 Chapter Eight: Monsters
Skills and Feats: Balance +7, Hide +3, Listen +5,
Move Silently +11, Spot +5; Alertness, Run.
Improved Grab (Ex): If the lion hits with its bite
a�ack, it deals normal damage and a�empts to
start a grapple as a free action without provoking
an a�ack of opportunity. Improved grab works
against targets up to Medium size. The lion has the
option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply
use the part of its body it used in the improved
grab to hold the opponent. Each successful
grapple check it makes during successive rounds
automatically deals bite damage.
Invulnerable Skin (Ex): The Nemean lion’s greatest
strength is its skin, which cannot be harmed by
natural or manufactured weapons. A�acks which
do not harm the lion’s skin (such as grapple a�acks)
bypass the lion’s damage reduction. Bludgeoning
a�acks treat the lion’s DR as 5 instead of 15, as the
skin absorbs some of the damage but transfers the
rest to the so�er tissues underneath.
Pounce (Ex): When the creature charges, it can
make a full a�ack (including rake a�acks) instead
of a single a�ack.
Rake (Ex): The creature can rake with its rear
claws (+7 melee, 1d4+2) a�er a charge, pounce, or
successful grapple check.
Description: This creature looks like a
particularly ferocious lion. The son of Typhon and
Echidna, its skin was invulnerable to weapons.
Heracles choked it to death in a grapple.
Knowledge (history): 10—The lion of Nemea was
a ferocious monster invulnerable to weapons. 15—
The creature’s invulnerability was due to its thick
skin, and Heracles was able to choke it to death,
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which didn’t have to break the skin and thus found
its weakness.
Oracle at Delphi (female human Exp6): CR 3;
Medium humanoid; HD 6d6+6; hp 27; Init +5; Spd
30 �.; AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10; Base Atk +4;
Grp +3; Atk —; Full Atk —; Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.;
SQ blindness, python companion, foresight; AL
NG; SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +7; Str 8, Dex 13, Con
12, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: Cra� (cooking) +5, Diplomacy
+12, Heal +5, Knowledge (history) +11, Knowledge
(nature) +11, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +11,
Knowledge (religion) +11, Listen +14, Search +9,
Sense Motive +10; Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative,
Negotiator, Skill Focus (Listen).
Blindness (Ex): The Oracle was born blind and
has all the normal penalties for being blind.
Foresight (Su): The Oracle’s ability to prophecy
also helps protect her from danger. Identical to the
effects of a foresight spell, she is never surprised or
flat-footed. She has a +2 insight bonus to AC and
Reflex saves (included in the above totals, lost in
circumstances where she would lose her Dexterity
bonus to AC).
Python Companion (Ex): The Oracle is protected
by the guardian python (see below), which is in
many respects like a druid’s animal companion to
her. She can command the python to perform the
“defend,” “guard,” and “heel” tricks (as defined
in the Handle Animal skill) without having to
make Handle Animal checks (she is automatically
successful in these a�empts).
Description: The Oracle at Delphi is a Greek
 Chapter Eight: Monsters

woman blessed by Apollo with the gi� of true Cerberus. Orthos served the monster Geryon and
prophecy (and unlike Cassandra, people actually was killed by Heracles when Heracles tried to take
believe the Oracle’s prophecies). In some records Geryon’s ca�le. According to some legends, he is
the Oracle is just a young woman pressed into the father of the sphinx and the Nemean lion (both
service by the priests of the temple and her mothered by the chimera).
prophecies are just the babblings of a drug- Knowledge (history): 10—The monster Geryon
induced stupor, but this book assumes that the had a two headed-dog named Orthos, li�ermate of
Oracle was chosen by Apollo and her prophecies the beast Cerberus. 15—Like Cerberus, Orthos had
come from the god himself, though she may use a snake for a tail.
unusual means to put her mind in the right state Tactics: Like Cerberus, Orthos tries to trip an
to receive the prophecies. In some stories Apollo opponent and single out that creature for all his
claimed the site of the oracle a�er driving away its a�acks.
serpent guardian Python, in others the python is
the guardian beast who watches over the Oracle. Python of Delphi: The python is a monstrous
In the sample Argonauts campaign (see Chapter serpent that guards the Oracle at Delphi. Identical
7: Running the Campaign), the Oracle is a young in abilities to a huge constrictor snake, the python
blind woman whose guardian python has been is absolutely loyal to the Oracle and can never be
slain by minions of the gorgons. made to a�ack or harm her in any way. It fights
Knowledge (history): 10—The Oracle at Delphi is to the death to protect the Oracle. If the python
a servant of Apollo. Her prophecies are the truth, is slain, another young constrictor snake arrives
and people come from all over the known world to within a month to protect the oracle, soon growing
hear them. 15—She is guarded by a sacred python to its full size.
and human soldiers who have sworn themselves to Knowledge (history): 10—The python is a great
her service. snake that guards the Oracle from all harm.
Tactics: The Oracle prefers not to fight on her
own behalf, leaving that sort of thing to her python Scylla: CR 4; Large monstrous humanoid
and guards. If a�acked, she flees, taking advantage (augmented humanoid, human); HD 8d8+40; hp
of her foresight ability. 76; Init +6; Spd 20 �., swim 40 �.; AC 19, touch 11,
flat-footed 17; Base Atk +8; Grp +16; Atk +11 melee
Orthos: CR 3; Medium magical beast; HD 4d10+12;
hp 34; Init +2; Spd 40 �.; AC 16, touch 12, flat-
footed 14; Base Atk +4; Grp +8; Atk +9 melee
(1d6+4, bite); Full Atk +9 melee (1d6+4, 2 bites), +3
melee (1d4+2 plus poison, snake tail); Space/Reach
5 �./5 �.; SA trip, poison (1d6 Con/1d6 Con, DC
15); SQ immortality, low-light vision, scent; AL N;
SV Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2; Str 18, Dex 15, Con 17,
Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: Hide +4, Listen +8, Move Silently
+4, Spot +8, Survival +2; Run, TrackB, Weapon Focus
(bite).
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial
damage 1d6 Con, secondary damage 1d6 Con. The
save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: Orthos has a +2 bonus to Hide and Move
Silently checks, a +4 bonus to Listen and Spot
checks, and a +4 bonus to Survival checks when
tracking by scent.
Trip (Ex): If Orthos hits with a bite a�ack he can
a�empt to trip his opponent (+9 check modifier)
as a free action without making a touch a�ack or
provoking an a�ack of opportunity. If the a�empt
fails, the opponent cannot react to trip him.
Description: Orthos is a two-headed snake-tailed
dog, a smaller and weaker version of his brother

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 Chapter Eight: Monsters

(1d8+4, bite); Full Atk +11 melee (1d8+4, 6 bites);

Space/Reach 10 �./5 �.; SA improved grab (bite),
pounce; SQ darkvision, DR 5/—, immortality, low-
light vision; AL N; SV Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +6; Str
18, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14.
Skills and Feats: Hide +2*, Listen +11, Move
Silently +2*, Spot +11, Swim +12; Alertness, Combat
Reflexes, Improved Initiative.
Skills: *Scylla gets a +4 bonus to Hide and Move
Silently checks in water.
Description: The creature Scylla was once a
beautiful human woman, daughter of a river-
god. She was loved by a man named Glaucon,
who spurned Circe’s affections to pursue Scylla.
In revenge, Circe poisoned the waters of Scylla’s
favorite bathing pool with foul magic, and when
Scylla went to bathe herself, the submerged portion
of her body transformed into six barking dogs and
a monstrous snake tail. Therea�er she lived in a
seaside cave, living on fish, dolphins, and whatever
sailors she managed to snatch from passing ships.
Knowledge (history): 10—Scylla is a horrible Description: Born of Typhon and Echidna (or
female monster with six dogs and a snake tail perhaps the Chimera), the sphinx has a lion body,
instead of a lower body. She devours sailors whose a woman’s torso, and eagle’s wings. She had
ships come to close to her cave. 15—Scylla used learned a riddle from the Muses, and terrorized
to be human but was transformed by a jealous the people of Thebes by posing the riddle to all
sorceress. When she a�acks a ship, each of her six who tried to enter or leave the city; those who
dog heads snatches a sailor, which she drags back failed to answer were thro�led and devoured by
to her lair to devour. the sphinx. Oedipus solved the riddle and she
Tactics: Scylla cares li�le for fighting and only hurled herself to her death. Clearly the Greek
a�acks because she is hungry. She prefers to sphinx is a more cruel and malevolent sort of
grapple one or more creatures with her improved creature than the sphinx found in the MM, and
grab ability, then retreat. If she fails to grab it lacks the magical powers a�ributed to it by
anyone with her first a�acks, she tries again, and modern authors.
if those fail she retreats to wait for easier prey. Knowledge (history): 10—The sphinx was half-
woman, half-lion, and challenged all who crossed
Sphinx: CR 6; Large magical beast; HD 8d10+8; hp her path with a riddle, killing those who failed
52; Init +5; Spd 40 �., fly 60 �. (poor); AC 21, touch to give the right answer. 15—The sphinx’s riddle
10, flat-footed 20; Base Atk +8; Grp +16; Atk +12 was correctly answered by Oedipus, and in a rage
melee (1d6+4, claw); Full Atk +12 melee (1d6+4, 2 she threw herself off a cliff and died. 20—The
claws); Space/Reach 10 �./5 �.; SA pounce, rake
1d6+2; SQ darkvision, immortality, low-light
vision; AL NE; SV Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +6; Str 19,
Dex 12, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 19.
Skills and Feats: Bluff +5, Diplomacy +8, Hide
-3, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (history) +10,
Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +5, Knowledge
(religion) +10, Listen +15, Move Silently +12, Sense
Motive +10, Spot +15; Improved Initiative, Power
A�ack, Weapon Focus (claw).
Pounce (Ex): When the creature charges, she
can make a full a�ack (including 2 rake a�acks)
instead of a single a�ack.
Rake (Ex): If the sphinx pounces, she can rake
with her rear claws (+11 melee, 1d6+2).

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 Chapter Eight: Monsters
sphinx is the daughter of Typhon and Echidna, or
perhaps Chimera.
Tactics: Any other sphinx has probably learned
the lesson of her ancient sister and ignores riddles,
focusing instead of grappling her opponents and
raking. If approached with peaceful intent and
given offerings of meat she may answer questions
about mankind, the world, or even the gods.
Sthenno, female gorgon (medusa): CR 3; Large
monstrous humanoid; HD 6d8+12; hp 39; Init +7;
Spd 30 �.; AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 15; Base Atk
+6; Grp +10; Atk +8 ranged (1d6/x3, shortbow), or
+8 melee (1d4/19-20, dagger), or +8 melee (1d4 plus
poison, snakes); Full Atk +8/+3 ranged (1d6/x3,
shortbow), or +8/+3 melee (1d4/19-20, dagger), +3
melee (1d4 plus poison, snakes); Space/Reach 10
�./5 �.; SA petrifying gaze, poison (1d6 Str/2d6 Str,
DC 15); SQ darkvision, immortality; AL N; SV Fort
+4, Ref +8, Will +6; Str 10, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 12,
Wis 13, Cha 15.
Skills and Feats: Bluff +9, Diplomacy +4,
Disguise +9 (+2 acting), Hide -1, Intimidate +4,
Move Silently +9, Sleight of Hand +5, Spot +8;
Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Weapon
Finesse.
Gaze (Su): Sthenno’s gaze a�ack slowly turns
creatures to stone. Any creature that fails a saving
throw against the gaze suffers a -2 penalty to
Dexterity and a -1 penalty to a�ack rolls (these
penalties are cumulative). If the Dexterity penalty
ever equals or exceeds the character’s Dexterity
score, the creature turns fully to stone. The gaze
a�ack has a range of 30 �., Fortitude DC 13
negates. The save DC is Charisma-based with a –2
penalty. (In a standard-power campaign, use the
normal medusa’s instant-petrification gaze a�ack
instead of this weaker version.)
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial
damage 1d6 Str, secondary damage 2d6 Str. The
save DC is Constitution-based.
Description: See Euryale for general information
on the gorgons and why the version presented
here has a weak gaze a�ack. In the Argonauts
playtest campaign, Sthenno was even more
monstrous than her sister, with the torso of a
beautiful woman and the lower body of a giant
snake (Reaper Miniatures makes a miniature of
this type of gorgon), but there is no reason why
she can’t look like her sister (if so, use Euryale’s
statistics block instead of the one above).
Knowledge (history): See Euryale.
Tactics: See Euryale for general information on
gorgon tactics, although Sthenno likes to remain
hidden while Euryale talks to potential foes, as
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her snaky body quickly informs any visiting
heroes that something strange is afoot.
Stymphalian Bird: CR 1/2; Small magical beast;
HD 1d10+1; hp 6; Init +2; Spd 10 �., fly 80 �.
(average); AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 13; Base
Atk +1; Grp -3; Atk +4 melee (1d4, claw), or +4
thrown (1d3, blade feather); Full Atk +4 melee
(1d4, 2 claws), -1 melee (1d4, bite), or +4 thrown
(1d3, 2 blade feathers); Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.; SQ
low-light vision; AL N; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2;
Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6.
Skills and Feats: Hide +6, Spot +14; Weapon
Finesse.
Description: These strange ibis-like birds have
sharp metal feathers, which they hurl and anyone
who accosts them. The feathers are so sharp that
dead birds have been known to kill men simply
by falling on them out of trees or the sky.
Knowledge (history): 10—A flock of metal-
feathered birds lived on Lake Stymphalis in
Arcadia, hurling their sharp feathers like arrows
from a bow. 15—Heracles drove the birds away
from the lake by making loud noises, and shot
them out of the sky as they took flight.
Tactics: The birds prefer to use their feathers as
ranged weapons, only swooping in to claw and
peck at foes near death from the feathers.
Talos: CR 4; Medium construct; HD 8d10+10;
hp 54; Init +6; Spd 30 �.; AC 20, touch 12, flat-
footed 18; Base Atk +6; Grp +11; Atk +11 melee
(1d3+7, slam), or +8 thrown (2d6+5, rock); Full
Atk +11 melee (1d3+7, slam), or +8 thrown (2d6+5,
rock); Space/Reach 5 �./5 �.; SA rock throwing;
SQ critical vulnerability, acid resistance 10,
cold resistance 10, electricity resistance 10, fire
resistance 10, sonic resistance 10, construct traits;
AL N; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +4; Str 20, Dex 14,
Con —, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6.
 Chapter Eight: Monsters

Skills and Feats: Listen +4, Spot +15; Alertness,

Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative,
Critical Vulnerability (Ex): Unlike most
constructs, Talos is not completely immune to
critical hits; his living artery means that he is only
90% immune to critical hits and sneak a�acks
(similar to the effect from fortification armor).
Rock Throwing (Ex): The range increment is 100
feet for Talos’ thrown rocks.
Description: An animated bronze man created
by Hephaestus and given by Zeus to the Queen
of Crete, Talos patrolled the island’s shores and
kept pirates away by hurling boulders at their
ships. Unlike most constructs, he has a blood
vessel running from his neck to one ankle. In
some myths he was slain by Medea’s magic,
which caused him to strike his vulnerable ankle
and bleed to death, though in other stories he was
slain by an arrow to that ankle.
Knowledge (history): 10—Talos was a bronze
man given to the Queen of Crete by Hephaestus.
He sank enemy ships by hurling boulders at them.
15—As a man of bronze cra�ed by the gods, Talos
was almost invulnerable. His only weakness was a
single artery running the length of his body.
Tactics: Talos is simple-minded and hurls
boulders at anything he perceives as an enemy. If
that fails, he hammers away at foes with his metal
fists.

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 Appendix: Sources and Suggested Reading
There are hundreds of books on the classic Greek
era and as many on the Greek myths. I found these
to be particularly useful:
The Ancient World: A Social and Cultural History,
Fi�h Edition by D. Brendan Nagle, published by
Prentice Hall in 2002. This is actually a textbook
my sister used in one of her Classics classes, and it
provided most of the information I needed about
ancient Greek life and the origin of their society, as
well as references for the region map.
D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and
Edgar Parin D’Aulaire, republished by Dell
(Bantam Doubleday Dell). This is a children’s book,
but is wonderfully illustrated and covers not only
the stories of the gods but of important mortals
as well. This is the book—checked out by me as
a child over and over again from my local public
library—that got me hooked on Greek mythology,
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bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
and later (through another D’Aulaire book, Norse
Gods and Giants) on the Asgardian mythos. It’s
an oversized full-color 192-page book that gives
enough details on the heroics of the stories without
ge�ing into the uglier parts (it says Zeus “married”
many nymphs and mortals, for example), and I
can’t recommend it enough for children or adults. I
bought a copy from a local bookstore just so I could
refer to it when writing this book.
Not a book but a website, Aaron Atsma’s
<www.theoi.com> was an invaluable resource
for creating this book, not only in the author’s
photographs which he so kindly gave me
permission to use in The New Argonauts, but his
extensive research and cross-linking about the
myths, including stories I had never heard of. You
could spend days reading the site (I’ve done so)
and still not hit every page.
 OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and is Copyright
2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark
owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material”
means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations
(including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction,
addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other
form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c)
“Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly
display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d) “Open Game Content” means
the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and
routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity
and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly
identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any
work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works
under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity; (e) “Product
Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks
including trade dress; artifacts, creatures, characters, stories, storylines,
plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols,
designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes, and
graphic, photographic, and other visual or audio representations; names
and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams,
personas, likenesses, and special abilities; places, locations, environments,
creatures, equipment, magical, or supernatural abilities or effects, logos,
symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark
clearly identified as Product Identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and
which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means
the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor
to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the
Open Game License by the Contributor; (g) “Use,” “Used,” or “Using” means
to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate, and otherwise create
Derivative Material of Open Game Content; (h) “You” or “Your” means the
licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that
contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be
Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice
to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or
subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself.
No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content
distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate
Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License,
the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive
license with the exact terms of this License to Use the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original
material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are
Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights
conveyed by this License.
Designation of Product Identity: The following items are hereby designated
as Product Identity in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game
License, version 1.0a: Any and all logos and identifying marks and trade
dress, such as all product and product line names including but not limited
to New Argonauts, Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed, Reaper Miniatures,
the New Argonauts cover art, photographs of Greek art provided by
Aaron Atsma, the name of the Defensive Stance feat, or likenesses of
all miniatures, except such elements that already appear in final or draft
versions of the d20 System Reference Document or as Open Game
Content below and are already Open Game Content by virtue of appearing
there. The above Product Identity is not Open Game Content.
Designation of Public Domain Content: All proper Greek names, real-
world locations, and Greek monster concepts (though not their game
mechanics presented here) belong to the public domain, as they predate
the modern era, and are not subject to the Open Game License (they are
neither Product Identity nor Open Game Content, and may be used freely
by anyone).
bobert baylor (Order #17666020)
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE
portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of
any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You
must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the
COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity,
including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in
another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of Product
Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any
Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing
Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent
Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark.
The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute
a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any
Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title, and
interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly
indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open
Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish
updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this
License to copy, modify, and distribute any Open Game Content originally
distributed under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with
every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open
Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written
permission from the Contributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of
the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game
Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You
may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to
comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of
becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination
of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable,
such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it
enforceable.
15. Copyright Notice:
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
d20 System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the
Coast, Inc.; authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich
Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, and Bruce R. Cordell,
based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
New Argonauts Copyright 2004 Sean K Reynolds. All rights reserved.
Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed Copyright 2003 Monte J. Cook. All rights
reserved.
Designation of Open Game Content: Subject to the Product Identity
designation above, the following portions of New Argonauts are designated
as Open Game Content: the name, description, and statistics for each
character or creature; the names, statistics and descriptions for the feats,
items, and spells (with the exception of the name of the Defensive Stance
feat, which is Product Identity); and anything else contained herein which
is already Open Game Content by virtue of appearing in the System
Reference Document or some other Open Game Content source.
Some portions of this book which are Open Game Content originate
from the System Reference Document and are ©1999-2003 Wizards of
the Coast, Inc. The remainder of these Open Game Content portions
of this book are hereby added to Open Game Content and if so used,
should bear the COPYRIGHT NOTICE “New Argonauts. ©2004 Sean K
Reynolds,” with the exception of the description of the Defensive Stance
feat, which should bear the COPYRIGHT NOTICE “Monte Cook’s Arcana
Unearthed ©2003 Monte J. Cook.”