Swordsandsandals

The Stragglers' Odyssey

Adventures So Far

The Beginning

The Cave of the Sacred Crab

The Gorgon

The Merchant's Trick

The City of Machinae

The Great Games

Petros the Noble

The Island of Harpies

The Mermen and the Nymph

The Pirates

The Turtle Dragon

The Archon of Micropolis

The Homecoming

Ireneus

Abilities:

Agility d8

Smarts d8

Spirit d8

Strength d4

Vigor d4

Skills:

Boating d4

Fighting d6

Healing d8

Knowledge (medicine) d8

Notice d8

Persuasion d4

Riding d4

Swimming d4

Throwing d6

Hindrances:

Clueless

Pacifist (minor)

Vow (minor): The Hippocratic Oath

Edges:

Charismatic

Healer

Steady Hands

Gear:

4 knives

Spear

Leather armour

Medium shield

Bandages

Needle and thread

The Arche Panacea, a fabulous medicine that can:

• Once, Heal a whole town of a cold or such ailment, or
• Once, Cure a number equal to a ship's crew of the plague or other such deadly sickness, or
• (1-3 times) Heal a single man of all his wounds, or
• Once, Raise a recently dead man back to life....

Description:

Ireneus is a man of comfortable birth and once-great prospects, who looked forward to a life of affluence and respect after he completed his apprenticeship as a healer. He was horrified to be sent to the front as a field medic, knowing all too well that his life of study and care for the sick hadn't in any way prepared him to fight for his life. He was relieved that the war was over almost immediately, but now there is a long stretch of wilderness infested with bandits and beasts between him and his comfortable bed...

He is slight, pale and tends to look somewhat lost when the conversation is on anything but diseases and the treatment of injuries, on which he is all the more confident in his opinions. He tries to remember the teachings and high standards of Hippocrates and apply them to his life, but he suspects that the Father of Medicine did not have quite so many people throwing javelins on him, nor such trouble getting hold of his daily bread. When caring for patients, he is calm, gentle and businesslike; when in battle, he fights with desperate determination to survive but also unhappily, feeling that there is something fundamentally wrong with sticking sharp objects through the divine miracle that is the human body.

Petros

A loudmouthed braggart who would be obnoxious if not for his gregarious affability and genuine selflessness.

Started out as a fisherman and aspiring wrestling champion from a small coastal village, gone to war for the loot and the glory after a storm wrecked his boat.

Became a celebrated champion and landowner in Smyrna after stumbling into a great victory in the arena.

• Wounds: 0
• Bennies: 2

Attributes

• Agility d8
• Smarts d6
• Spirit d6
• Strength d10
• Vigor d6

Skills

• Boating d8+2
• Climbing d4
• Fighting d8 (+1 with the royal sword)
• Intimidation d4
• Notice d4 (-2 with helmet)
• Persuasion d4+2
• Shooting d4
• Swimming d6
• Taunt d4
• Throwing d4

Edges

• Ace: +2 Boating, can make vehicle Soak rolls with Boating (without the bonus)
• Brawny: +1 Toughness, load limit = Strength x 8
• Noble: +2 Charisma, Rich, noble obligations

Hindrances

• Big Mouth
• Heroic
• Loyal

Derived Statistics

• Charisma +2
• Pace 6"
• Parry 6 (+2 with shield)
• Toughness 6 (+3 in full armor)

Gear (load limit 80lbs)

• Large shield (Str+d4, +2 Parry, medium cover, weight 15)
• Spear (Str+d8, Reach 1", AP 1, thrown 4/8/16, weight 4)
• Dagger (Str+d4, AP 2, thrown 3/6/12, weight 1)
• Exquisite sword stolen from a royal tomb (Str+d6+3, +1 Fighting, use a benny to inflict an extra wound, cursed, weight 4)
• Plate cuirass (+3 Armor on torso, -2 Stealth, weight 22)
• Greaves (+3 Armor on legs, -1 Stealth, weight 6)
• Bracers (+3 Armor on arms, -1 Stealth, weight 6)
• Full helmet (+3 Armor on head, -2 Notice, weight 6)
• Blanket (weight 4)
• Flint and steel (weight 1)
• Knife (weight 1)
• Waterskin (weight 1)
• Wineskin (weight 1)
• $25

Experience

• Rank: Novice
• XP: 15
• Advances

1. increased Strength to d10
2. gained Noble edge
3. gained Ace edge

Shamshir-Addad

Abilities:

• Agility d6

• Smarts d10

• Spirit d8

• Strength d4

• Vigor d6

Skills:

• Fighting d6
• Guts d4
• Investigation d8
• Knowledge [History and Religion] d10
• Knowledge [Battle] d8
• Notice d6
• Persuasion d8
• Stealth d4
• Shoot d6

Hindrances:

• Curious [major]
• Loyal [minor]
• Enemy [minor]
• Pacifist [minor]

Edges:

• Jack of All Trades [roll untrained Smarts skills at d4 instead of d4-2]
• Luck of the Impious [+1 Benny at the beginning of each session]

Gear:

• Dagger [Str+d4, AP 2, thrown 3/6/12, weight 1, cost 100]
• Bow with 30 Bronze Arrows and Quiver [Str+d6+1, 12/24/48, cost 150]

• Quilted coat [+1 torso & limbs, weight 12, cost 120]

• Normal Clothing [cost 20]
• Lantern with oil [cost 30]
• Pen and Inkwell with ink [cost 30?]
• Several Scrolls [cost 10]

• 40 arrow heads all spent on antidote. Broke. A bum, basically. A Hittite hobo.

Description:

Shamshir-addad was always very bright - but also a little too curious. While serving as a junior scribe in the household of the King of Hattusas, Shamshir came across some irregularities in the King's accounts. Investigating, Shamshir determined that the irregularities were due to one of the King's cousins hording tax returns instead of passing them on to the king. Thinking this revelation would bring him fame and honor, Shamshir revealed his findings to the King.

Things went...poorly, and Shamshir found himself exiled from his homeland and with a powerful enemy - Suppiluliuma, cousin of the King of the Hittites. Now in the company of a crew of sailors and mercenaries, Shamshir plies his skills and knowledge in the service of his newfound friends.

Nereus

XP: 15 Bennies: 4

Attributes:
Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills:
Boating d4, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Swimming d6

Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6

Hindrances:
Anemic, Clueless, Doubting Thomas

Edges:
Healer, Arcane Background (Psionics), New Power, Power Points

Powers:
Blind, Boost/Lower Trait, Fear, Mind Reading

Gear:
Spear (Range 3/6/12, Str+d6),

💀 Kleon (turned to stone by a gorgon)

Kleon, son of the Great Kleitos

Exp: 0 Bennies: 3 Wounds: 0

A slender youth with not a whisker on his chin, wearing a black lion-mane mantled cloak far too long for him.

Attributes

• Agility d8
• Smarts d6
• Spirit d6
• Strength d6
• Vigor d6

• Charisma 0
• Pace 8" (+1d10" on Run)*
• Parry 5
• Toughness 4*

Skills

• Boating d4
• Climbing d4
• Fighting d6
• Knowledge: Myths & Legends d4
• Notice d6
• Persuasion d4
• Stealth d6
• Survival d6
• Swimming d4
• Throwing d8
• Tracking d4

Edges

• Fleet-footed

Hindrances

• Small (Major)
• Outsider (Non-Adult)(Minor)
• Loyal (Minor)

Gear

• Dagger Str+1d4 AP2 3/6/12 w1 c100
• Javelins (3) Str+1d6 AP1 6/12/24 w2 (6) c75 (225)
• Small Shield Parry+1 w2 c25
• Quilted Coat Toughness+1 Torso & Limbs w12 c120
• Thick Phyrgian Cap Toughness+1 Head w1 c30
• Father's Black Lion Mane Cloak

Background Kleon is 15 or 16, no longer a child, yet he has not yet grown into a man. He has practiced the ways of war for years with his father, and others, but has never fought in battle. Faster than anyone else in his camp, he throws well and frequently hunts the arid hills for a rabbit or bird to add to the communal pots, yet he is not big enough to wield the long spear and shield yet.

He is determined to return to his fathers lands, to see his mother again, and to one day take up the spear and shield and live up to the memory of his father's deeds.

Due to his age and size, his opinion rarely carries much weight, but he is determined to give it anyway.

More about Kleon

NPC Crew

Teknos, an eccentric craftsman/ smith/ inventor.

Thales, a harpist.

Theron, a hunter/tracker with d6 survival, tracking, stealth, notice and d6 shooting.

Alecta, a young woman who dives for sponges. Has swimming d8 and can hold her breath for a long time.

The Golden Man, an automaton forged in the workshop of an apprentice of Daedalus.

💔 Iolkos, a merchant stranded by a storm, d8 streetwise and carrying a club he knows how to use (d6). (Stole Xolon's hammer and fled; actually a Lydian "astrologer" in disguise.)

💀 Penelope, a youth who accompanied the soldiers to seek her husband and brothers at Troy. (Turned to stone by a gorgon.)

💀 Glaucos, a skillful fixer but also a coward and back-stabber. (Turned to stone by a gorgon.)

💀 Demos, a philosopher but a good rower as well. (Turned to stone by a gorgon.)

💀 Bion, a simple man but a swift runner. (Killed by pirates.)

The Ship

A sleek 80-foot triakonter with white sails and red and black hull.

• Acceleration: 2 (1 under sail)
• Top Speed: 8 (3 under sail, 5 with less than full crew)
• Crew: minimum 10, full 30
• Capacity: 70 people with gear and supplies, or equivalent amount of cargo
• Toughness: 19 (4)
• Damage: none

Crew: Thirty trained oarsmen (extras; all attributes d6, Boating d6, Fighting or Shooting d6, Swimming d6). All are equipped with quilted armor, medium shields and daggers, and either spears or bows and arrows.

Gear

Shields

Type	Damage	Weight	Cost	Special
Small shield	Str+d4	2	25	Parry +1
Medium shield	Str+d4	6	50	Parry +2, light cover
Large shield	Str+d4	15	200	Parry +2, medium cover

A shield slung on one's back provides cover (but no Parry bonus) to its wearer.

The hand holding the shield can also hold up to 4 pounds of other items, like javelins, which can be "drawn" as a free action.

A shield can be sacrificed instead of a Benny to soak damage; it becomes unusable until repaired (which costs the same as a new shield).

Hunkering down behind a shield (spend an action, halve your Pace) increases its cover by one step (light to medium, medium to heavy).

Melee Weapons

Type	Damage	Weight	Cost	Special
Club	Str+d4	2	25	nonlethal at will
Dagger	Str+d4	1	100	AP 2, thrown 3/6/12
Sword	Str+d6+1	2	200
Axe	Str+d8	2	150
Mace	Str+d8	2	150	Shaken enemies roll to recover at -1, Parry -1
Staff	Str+d6	4	50	Reach 1", nonlethal at will
Spear	Str+d8	4	150	Reach 1", AP 1, thrown 4/8/16
Pike	Str+d8	6	250	Reach 2", AP 1, 2-handed only
Maul	Str+d12	10	50	Shaken enemies roll to recover at -1, Parry -1

When using a melee weapon in two hands, your Strength die type is increased by one step for purposes of Str requirements and damage rolls.

Any weapon without a listed range can be thrown with a range of 2/4/8.

Ranged Weapons

Type	Range	Damage	Weight	Cost	Special
Sling	8/16/32	Str+d4	1	25
Bow	12/24/48	Str+d6	2	100
Javelin	6/12/24	Str+d6	2	75	AP 1

Ammunition

Type	Weight	Cost	Special
Sling stones	1/4	free
Sling bullets	1/4	1/4	+1 damage
Stone arrows	1/5	1/2
Bronze arrows	1/5	1	+1 damage

Slings and bows cannot be used in close combat or while prone.

Javelins cannot be thrown while prone.

Bows require two hands to use.

Slings require two hands to load, but a hand holding a shield can also hold and load sling stones or bullets (see Shields, above).

Slingstones can be found on shores and riverbanks; spend fifteen minutes and make a Notice roll to find a number of suitable stones equal to your roll.

Armor

Type	Toughness	Locations	Weight	Cost	Special
Quilted coat	+1	torso & limbs	12	120
Scaled coat	+2	torso & limbs	17	175	-2 Stealth
Plate cuirass	+3	torso	22	350	-2 Stealth
Bracers	+3	arms	6	100	-1 Stealth
Greaves	+3	legs	6	100	-1 Stealth
Thick cap	+1	head	1	30
Light helmet	+2	head	3	75	-1 Notice
Full helmet	+3	head	6	150	-2 Notice