User:PJammaz/roman sourcebook

Work In Progress

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome is a sourcebook for D&D 5e that aims to create a resource for running campaigns in Ancient Rome. This sourcebook covers most of the history of Ancient Rome, starting with the kingdom circa 750 BC and ending with the fall of the empire in 395 AD. The setting is assumed to be fantastical.

Guidelines

The guidelines here attempt to keep as much of the first-party content as possible. The changes listed here are aimed at creating a unique experience that is also true to the history and legends of ancient Rome.

• All of the common races, besides humans, are considered rare. Uncommon races are very rare and every other race is almost unheard of.
• Magic items have a similar rarity to 5e, although some common items may be fairly easy to come upon, such as protective amulets.
• Religious characters must worship Roman gods unless of course, their character is from a different part of the world. Jewish and Christian characters may exist as well, although you are encouraged to be respectful of the beliefs of the others at your table.
• Rome had its own form of currency which changed over time. A simplified translation is here.

History

The history of ancient Rome is long and complicated and would take up a large portion of this sourcebook, so it will be as brief as possible. Roman history is largely divided into 3 eras: the kingdom, the republic, and the empire.

Founding

The founding myth of Rome is commonly known amongst Romans and is often a source of pride. Two infant brothers, Romulus and Remus, wash up on the shores of what would be known as Italy. They are raised by a wolf until they are old enough to care for themselves. They eventually found Rome.

Kingdom

The kingdom of Rome lasted for about 250 years. Each king, minus the original ruler, Romulus, was elected by the people to be ruler for life. The king had supreme control over the military and could appoint a high priest. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Kingdom

Republic

In the years after the Roman monarchy ended, there were several years of adjustments as new positions within the government were formed. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republic

Government

The three eras were each represented by different types of government. The way that the government functioned during each of those periods would change as well.

Kingdom

The absolute ruler of Rome was the king, or rex. This started with Romulus after he founded Rome. The king would for life and when he passed, a new king would be elected by the patricians.

Republic

After the final king was dishonorably removed from position, the patricians spent several years setting up the Senate. The Senate was led by two consuls, who were the supreme decision makers for one year, after which time, another election would be held.

Empire

After an extended period of expansion and victory, Julius Gaius Caesar marched his army into Rome and declared himself the dominus, or lord, of Rome. He was assassinated out of fear that he would declare himself as the new rex. Nevertheless, this began a period of dominae, whether appointed by the senate or through a military victory. Many emperors met untimely deaths.

Latin

This sourcebook is not intended to teach Latin, but for authenticity, many Latin words are used. This section will help with a general understanding of the language for any DMs who wish to implement more of the language into their campaign.

Alphabet

The Latin alphabet is very similar to the English alphabet. Originally, it only had 21 letters, excluding the letters J, U, W, Y, and Z, but later Y and Z were borrowed from the Greek alphabet. As Latin was continued to be used throughout the medieval ages, the language shifted slightly and eventually, J, U, and W found their way back into Latin words. Whenever pronouncing a Latin word with the letter "J", it is pronounced as if it were an "I". For example, "Jupiter" would actually be "IVPITER", pronounced "yu-peh-tehr". When reading ancient Roman text, the letter V appears often, but it actually represents the sound that is represented by U in English. The Latin word "baculum" would be written as "BACVLVM" but is pronounced like "bahk-oo-lum". The letter W is represented in Latin as exactly what it sounds like, a double U, or double V.

Weapons

You are encouraged to use the Latin terms for weapons.

• Dagger = pugio
• shortword = gladius
• longsword = spatha
• spear = hasta
• javelin = pilum
• bow = arcus
• sickle = falx
• plumbata
• trident = fuxina
• cestus
• club = baculum

Armor

Armor was fairly rare amongst common citizens. The armor that did exist was more awkward and uncomfortable while also being less effective than later medieval armor that 5e is based on. Most armor is made from iron or bronze.

Races

Humans are by far the most common of the races. The other races still exist, but as far as most Roman citizens know, the other races might as well be myths.

Human

Depending on what period of time your campaign takes place in, as long as your character speaks Latin and was born in what is modern Italy, you are considered a Roman citizen. Many people lived in Rome from all over the known world.

Dwarf

Many Romans live near dwarves without even realizing it. The dwarves stay underground, rarely, if ever, leaving the safety of their underground kingdoms. A small kingdom of dwarves lives surprisingly close to Rome, inhabiting the hills of Rome.

Elf

The city of Atlantis is the last known home of the high elves. Wood elves inhabit what the Romans would consider to be barbaric lands, mostly the wilds of the Germanic lands.

Half-Elf

Half-elves would be almost completely unheard of. The circumstances for an elf and a human to meet and have a child would happen so rarely that there may not be any half-elves at any given point.

Half-Orc

Orcs inhabit the barbaric wilds and often interact with the people who live there.

Halfling

Halflings only really live on the island of Bretonia or the land of Scandinavia. Sometimes they can pass as humans with dwarfism or even children.

Tiefling

Demons don't exist as we understand them to exist now. A tiefling could have many origins, although the most common would be a god cursing someone to have an odd appearance or to give birth to a child with the appearance of a tiefling.

Classes

Given enough adjustments to the setting, any 5e class can be played in ancient Rome.

Barbarian

Most Romans would probably consider a warrior wading into battle without any armor to be pretty stupid. You wouldn't expect to see a barbarian in a Roman legion or street thug, but the class fits perfectly for gladiators or foreign warriors whose methods of combat and spiritual practices are unknown to most Roman citizens.

Bard

Music was an integral part of Roman culture. It wouldn't be unusual to see bards in most social settings. In addition to typical musician bards, there were orators known for reciting epic poems.

Cleric

Religion was an important part of Roman society. There were men and women who dedicated their lives in service to a particular god. An important part of earning the favor of your chosen god depends on following rituals and making the proper sacrifices.

Druid

Romans weren't too in touch with nature, although many cultures near them were known for their shamanic and pagan practices. A druid would likely be from a less developed part of the world, far from the city of Rome.

Fighter

A Roman fighter would likely be either a soldier or a gladiator, but there were also street thugs.

Monk

Monks are quite difficult to fit into the setting of ancient Rome. Boxing and wrestling were popular in Rome. Flavoring the ki points to be martial enhancements may work better.

Paladin

Sometimes a warrior will be chosen by a god and given some of their powers.

Ranger

Roman citizens aren't often rangers, although those who live closer to the barbarians may have picked up an affinity with the wild.

Rogue

The streets of Rome were full of thieves, thugs, and cutthroats.

Wizard

Witches were common in ancient Rome.

Backgrounds

All of the backgrounds should fit into an ancient Rome setting pretty well. A few additional ones to consider are listed below.

Slave

Slavery was extremely common in ancient Rome, although the nature of it changed quite a lot over time. Often slaves would receive money for their work which would then allow them to buy their own freedom.

Magic

Romans were superstitious.

Religion

Religion played an important role in Roman life, including there being a state religion. Citizens would often worship one god almost exclusively, following specific rituals and traditions to win their favor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_deities