Maj Space: Maj - Roma (update)

Hopeflly this is the sort of thing people thought might work.  I
basically used Adept with the Cleric BAB, Saves and mostly combat
capabilities.  (Temporary) web site also updated:

http://www.romsys.demon.co.uk/frpg/spelljam/majspace/roma.htm



Roma - 03/Jul/06

The Roma Empire is just Italy, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania.

History and Politics

Roma invasions South did not cross the Bosphorus, they never
conquered Greece (though they absorbed a lot of its culture) and
they never destroyed Carthage.  North was a much greater success,
and for a while they held much of the lands of the Franks and
Albion, before being driven out by the Celts and other tribes,
who held on to much of Roman culture.

Roma has gone backwards and forwards between being an autocracy
and a republic several times over its history, and has now
settled into a system where the emperor rules for life, but has
quite clearly defined powers, effectively being responsible to
the Senate, the Assemblies and the people.  In theory impeachment
of the emperor is possible.

In practice one of the things which problably helped save Rome
was the reversal of the dilution of the Senate (by (Julius
Caesar)).  The Assemblies are the Centuriante Assembly, The
Tribal Assembly, and the Plebeian Council, who deal with most
domestic matters, and actually enact new legislation.

Politically Roma is split between the conservative and reform
factions, with a third small 'independent' faction, who quite
often hold the balance of power.

The reform faction, for example, want to move the national
capital to Neapolis, the Spelljamming port.  They say there is a
need for political power and fast decision making there, as that
is where new risks to Roma are likely to be first known about. 
They also say that is where much of the new wealth of the empire
flows through, with a need for careful taxation.

The conservative faction point to past failures of reform policy,
and are pushing instead for reinforcement of the imperial
spelljamming commission, which they have firmly under their
control.

Organisations

There is a group using conjuration and binding magic to prevent
Vesuvius from erupting, and another devoted to maintaining the
wards that contain the ancient ghosts of those killed when
Pompeii and Heracleum were destroyed.  Obviously, both groups
need supplies of special materials, and there are those who
attempt to sabotage their efforts.  Then there are the
worshippers of the various aspects of Vulcan (Hephaestus)...

International Relations

Roma still tends to refer to almost all other peoples as either
savage, or decandent and corrupt, 'barbarians'.  Any
'civilization' is obviously due to Roma influence.

Magic

For a long time Roma tried to deny that magic had any significant
effect on imperial policy.  However, the tribal spellcasters of
the Celts and Gauls were a major factor in forcing Roma to
withdraw, and even though the histories firmly deny it, scholarly
Romans are quite sure that magic is a significant reason that
Carthage, Persia and Greece held them off.

Added to the classical Roma legions are Adeptus Mil, military
spellcasters originally trained by Gaulish adepts hired with Roma
gold.  These are followers but not true clerics of Mercurius
Adeptus (use the class below).  Their classic role is to be
driven at speed around the battle field in light chariots
(enchanted with permanent Shield spells), making sure that enemy
spellcasters interfere as little as possible with the legions. 
They also help in gathering military intelligence.  While a
Wizard, probably assisted by a Cleric, might be more useful in
this role, this position is now fixed in Roma military doctrine. 
Their healing abilities should not be ignored, either.

Roma has always been rather suspicious of non-divine
spellcasters, but in the last two centuries academies which train
Wizards have been established, and they are almost acceptable now
in general society.  Barbarian (i.e. foreign) bards are
tolerated, for their novelty value if nothing else, but any other
spellcaster who does not have a religion, even a foreign one, to
back them, is looked on at least with suspicion, and if there has
been a recent mysterious illness or death, there may be a lynch
mob to worry about.

Native Roma Sorcerers rarely get the opportunity to grow up in
the empire, even if their familes are rich, and may be sent
(effectively exiled) abroad for their own safety.  A few may end
up joining the military, and be trained as Adeptus Mil (with an
initial level as Sorcerer).

Religion

Roma has a variety of imperial cult (i.e. worship of the
Emperor).  The way this works is that the Senate votes to deify
the Emperor after death.

Romans still worship their Roman (Greek) Gods, and use the Roma
and Greek names for them pretty interchangeably.

One of the changes that occured as a result of Roma withdrawal
from their Northern conquests was a rise in the religion of
Mercurius Adeptus, who has replaced Juptiter/Zeus as the chief
god worshipped.  Some claim that he was 'inspired' by the Celtic
'Lugh of the Long Hand', but conventional Roma theologians
strongly deny this.  The military are particularly fond of him.

Spelljamming

Roma has quite a thriving city-state, 'Nova Roma', on Selene.

The SJ port is Neapolis (Naples).


New Rules and Notes

Adeptus Mil (Military Adept)

Alignment: May not be chaotic, as this would not suit Mercurius
Adeptus, and does not suit military discipline.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills

The adeptus mil's class skills (and the key ability for each
skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha),
Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int),
Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Profession
(Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Survival (Wis). 

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Most adeptus mil will have 'Profession (charioteer)', as that is
where they will have served their apprenticeship, as the driver
for a more senior adeptus mil.  It should be noted that the feat
Craft Magic Arms and Armor is used to make and repair the
magically-protected battle chariots that adeptus mil almost
always use.

Table: The Adeptus Mil

Level   Base Attack Bonus  Fort Save  Ref Save  Will Save  Special
 1st           +0             +2         +0        +2
 2nd           +1             +3         +0        +3      Summon familiar
 3rd           +2             +3         +1        +3
 4th           +3             +4         +1        +4
 5th           +3             +4         +1        +4
 6th           +4             +5         +2        +5
 7th           +5             +5         +2        +5
 8th          +6/+1           +6         +2        +6
 9th          +6/+1           +6         +3        +6
10th          +7/+2           +7         +3        +7
11th          +8/+3           +7         +3        +7
12th          +9/+4           +8         +4        +8
13th          +9/+4           +8         +4        +8
14th         +10/+5           +9         +4        +9
15th      +11/ +6/+1          +9         +5        +9
16th      +12/ +7/+2         +10         +5       +10
17th      +12/ +7/+2         +10         +5       +10
18th      +13 /+8/+3         +11         +6       +11
19th      +14/ +9/+4         +11         +6       +11
20th      +15/+10/+5         +12         +6       +12

                 --- Spells per Day ----
Level   0       1st     2nd     3rd     4th     5th
 1st    3        1       -       -       -       -
 2nd    3        1       -       -       -       -
 3rd    3        2       -       -       -       -
 4th    3        2       0       -       -       -
 5th    3        2       1       -       -       -
 6th    3        2       1       -       -       -
 7th    3        3       2       -       -       -
 8th    3        3       2       0       -       -
 9th    3        3       2       1       -       -
10th    3        3       2       1       -       -
11th    3        3       3       2       -       -
12th    3        3       3       2       0       -
13th    3        3       3       2       1       -
14th    3        3       3       2       1       -
15th    3        3       3       3       2       -
16th    3        3       3       3       2       0
17th    3        3       3       3       2       1
18th    3        3       3       3       2       1
19th    3        3       3       3       3       2
20th    3        3       3       3       3       2

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the adeptus mil.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Adeptus mil are proficient with all
simple weapons, with light and medium armor, with shields (except
tower shields), and with two (Roma military) martial weapons.

Spells: An adeptus mil casts divine spells which are drawn from
the adeptus mil spell list (see below).  Like a cleric, an
adeptus mil must choose and prepare her spells in advance. 
Unlike a cleric, an adeptus mil cannot spontaneously cast cure or
inflict spells.

To prepare or cast a spell, an adeptus mil must have a Wisdom
score equal to at least 10 + the spell level.  The Difficulty
Class for a saving throw against an adeptus mil's spell is 10 +
the spell level + the adeptus mil's Wisdom modifier.

Adeptus mil, unlike wizards, do not acquire their spells from
books or scrolls, nor do they prepare them through study. 
Instead, they meditate or pray for their spells, receiving them
as divine inspiration or through their own strength of faith. 
Each adeptus mil must choose a time each day at which she must
spend an hour in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain
her daily allotment of spells.  Time spent resting has no effect
on whether an adeptus mil can prepare spells.

Like other spellcasters, an adeptus mil can cast only a certain
number of spells of each spell level per day.  Her base daily
spell allotment is given on "Table: The Adeptus Mil".  In
addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high
Wisdom score.

When "Table: The Adeptus Mil" indicates that the adeptus mil gets
0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus
spells she would be entitled to based on her Wisdom score for
that spell level.

Each adeptus mil has a holy symbol of Mercurius Adeptus (as a
divine focus) as that is the adeptus mil magical tradition.

Summon Familiar: At 2nd level, an adeptus mil can call a
familiar, just as a sorcerer or wizard can; this will typically
be some creature of use in a military setting.

Adeptus Mil Spell List

Adeptus mil choose their spells from the following list.

0 Level: create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, ghost
sound, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink, read
magic, touch of fatigue.
1st Level: bless, burning hands, cause fear, command, comprehend
languages, cure light wounds, detect chaos, detect evil, detect
good, detect law, endure elements, obscuring mist, protection
from chaos, protection from evil, protection from good,
protection from law, sleep.
2nd Level: aid, animal trance, bear's endurance, bull's strength,
cat's grace, cure moderate wounds, darkness, delay poison,
invisibility, mirror image, resist energy, scorching ray, see
invisibility, web.
3rd Level: animate dead, bestow curse, contagion, continual
flame, cure serious wounds, daylight, deeper darkness, lightning
bolt, neutralize poison, remove curse, remove disease, tongues.
4th Level: cure critical wounds, minor creation, polymorph,
restoration, stoneskin, wall of fire.
5th Level: baleful polymorph, break enchantment, commune, heal,
major creation, raise dead, true seeing, wall of stone.

-- 
Dreamer
dreamer@??????.?????.??.uk
http://www.romsys.demon.co.uk/