Reference The Glory of Rome Campaign Sourcebook 1 Chapter 1: Introduction ...... Auxiliaries ................ .............. .59 Chapter 2 A Short History of The Roman Navy ................................. 59 The Founding Myth ......... Enemies of Rome . ....................... .59 The Monarchy ............... Beasts and Monster ....................... .63 The Early Republic ......... Caladrius (MC Entry) .......................... .66 The Punic Wars ...................................... .9 Chapter 7: The Games ............................. .67 The Fall of the Republic .......................... .11 The Circus ......................................... .67 The Julio-Claudians ............................. .12 The Flavians .. The Five Good E Decline of the Empire. Chapter 8: Roman Cult The Long Fall of Chapter 3: Characters ................................ .17 Roman Citizens Social Rankings ... Character Classes Warrior Characters Imperial Rome.. ................................... ..86 Roman Life ....................... .,237 Roman Names ...... Chapter 9 Gazetteer of the Roman World ..... .91 Credits: Design: David Pulver Editing: Mike Breault, Thomas M. Reid Illustrations and Icons: Roger Raupp Maps and Diagrams: John Knecht Color Map Design: Steve Winter Typography: Nancy J. Kerkstra ................. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D and BATTLESYSTEM are re is tered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. The TSR logo, DUNGEON MASTER, and bM are trademark owned by TSR, Inr. All TSR characters, character names, and the distinctive Ueneses thereof are trademarks owned b TSR, Inc. 01993 TSR, Inc. AU Rights Reserved.Printed in the U3.A. Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for English lan “age mducts of TSR, lnc. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the Unite%Kinggom by TSR, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional dishibuton. This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. An repduction or unauthorized use of the material contained herein is prohib- itediwithout the expres written permission ofTSR, Inc. Honor and Dishonor ............................. .6 ISBN 1-56076-673-5 TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd. POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton Lake Geneva Cambridge CBl3LB WI 53147 USA. UnitedKingdom 2 Table of Contents & Introduction to the Second Edition Rome began as a small town on the Tiber river and are described below: grew into a powerful force for civilization, law, and Legionaries: The PCs are soldiers in the Roman order in the ancient world. The Roman Republic, and army. On an individual level, they may be members of its successor the Empire, was a federation of teeming an elite squad of legionaries serving in a dangerous cities linked by arrow-straight roads. Its peace and frontier, such as the border between Gaul and Germa- prosperity-the legendary Pax Romanum-were nia. They venture into the wilds on patrols, act as safeguarded by the invincible legions that held back couriers for important messages, hunt bandits or the barbarian hordes. pirates, hunt down rebels, guerrillas, and terrorists, But Rome also had a darker side: the cruelty of suppress cults that perform human sacrifice (such as mass slavery and the bloody arena, the greed and the druids), go on spy missions deep into barbarian opulence of the upper class, the unruly mobs paci- territory, stumble onto political plots to discredit or fied by bread and circuses, and the tyranny of mad assassinate their commander, and so on. On a larger emperors, such as Caligula and Nero. The Empire scale, characters may play Roman officers or generals, fell into darkness, but its ghost haunted the Middle and use the BATTLESYSTEM@rules to fight out bat- Ages and inspired the Renaissance. tles or military campaigns in any of Rome’s wars. The This is the Roman experience, a real epic of good “Armies and Enemies of Rome” chapter provides use- and evil whose memory has inspired thousands of ful information for a legionary campaign. books, movies, and comics, and which provides an Politicians: The PCs are high-born Romans serving unmatched setting for role-playing adventure. in law or politics, or the aides, agents, or spies of politicians. The cut-and-thrust of Roman politics involved much more than flowery speeches on the Using This Book senate floor. Winning an election or staying in power Glory of Rome is a stepping stone into a world of involved dirty tricks, courtroom battles to convict historical fantasy adventure. Characters may assume opponents of scandals or corruption, even bloody the roles of steadfast legionaries, ambitious Roman statesmen, doomed gladiators, bold charioteers, rebel slaves, or even missionary Christian priests. DMs should make two decisions before starting a Roman campaign. First, decide whether magic and monsters exist. This book assumes they do. Its focus is on Rome as the Romans believed it to be, and their world-view was one in which magic and monsters were shadowy but very real. However, these magical elements are easily deleted by DMs who want a strictly historical campaign. Second, choose the time period in which the cam- paign takes place-whether this is the Rome of the old Republic or the Empire. DMs should not be afraid to change history in the interests of a good story (or to let the PCs change it by their actions), but including historical events and personages in a sce- nario adds atmosphere and can be used to furnish many opportunities for exciting adventure. The chapter entitled “A Short History of Rome” provides a brief overview of Rome’s history and can be useful in selecting a period. After zeroing in on the period, it can be worthwhile to read a good historical novel or consult a reference book set in that era to furnish additional details. Next, consult with the players and decide what kind of campaign to run. A Roman campaign works best if there is an overall theme. Some possibilities Introduction e 3 1 Between rivaT gangs of stormfroo neighborhood agai” PCs may be gmbroiled in pl& Gdpower struggles the; armies of private ghdiators or criminals seek- or be the target of family feuds. And Rome’s states- ing protection money. Monsters could have escaped men were also its generals: an elected magistrate the arena, or cults or brothels might be kidnapping could find himself leading Rome’s legions in desper- women and children. The characters could be asked ate campaigns on foreign shores. to help Christians hiding from persecution or track Gladiators: The PCs are gladiators, beast-fighters, down thieves, arsonists, robbers, or serial killers. or charioteers. Besides the death-or-glory of the They may discover plots forming against public offi- games, they may be involved in rivalries with other cials-or be recruited by the plotters themselves. performers, while gladiators may also serve as Rebels and Martyrs: Instead of being loyal Romans, swords-for-hire. ”The Games” chapter provides rules PCs may take on the role of Rome’s oppressed sub- and background for a campaign set in the arena or jects: PCs could be slaves, Christians, Jews, Britons, circus. or Gauls, or any other people desperate to rise up TraveZers: The PCs travel the world and visit and throw off the Roman yoke by passive resistance, strange new lands. They might be diplomats and escape, or armed struggle. their body guards, bounty hunters seeking criminals or runaway slaves, agents of the emperor or another official trying to trap exotic beasts to please the The Roman Campaign Sourcebook Empire in the arena, merchants seeking new mar- and the ADW@2nd Edition Rules kets, or philosopher-mages hunting for ancient lore. This sourcebook is meant to be used with the Streets of Rome: Rome was not a very safe city- AD&D 2nd Edition rules. However, the AD&D crime, corruption, intrigue, and strange cults were rules reflect a generic medieval fantasy reality, not a everywhere! PCs could be honest city guards, retired fantasy Rome. When using a Roman setting, any legionaries turned street enforcers, or gladiators altered rules in this book take precedence over those seeking some extra money. PCs might protect the in other AD&D books. 4 Chapterone A Short History of Rome L when the river level went down. Mars sent a she- wolf and woodpecker to nurse and feed his chil- dren. The twins were found by a herdsman and his wife. One of the traditional emblems of Rome The Founding Myth is a she-wolf, commonly believed to be adopted When the Romans first began to write about because of this story. A seperate version of the their history, Greece was the fountainhead of civi- myth claims that the twins were actually found by lization. Roman authors who tried to explain how a woman of questionable morals who was known their city had come into being naturally looked commonly as ”the wolf.” In either case, the twins back to the rich fields of Greek legend, particu- were named Romulus and Remus. larly the national epic of Greece, the Iliad, which As they grew up, the twins had many adven- told the story of the Trojan War. tures in which they displayed great strength and Patriotic Romans believed they were descended courage. By the time they were young men, Romu- from Aeneas, a Trojan hero and son of the goddess lus and Remus were recognized leaders. On one Aphrodite. When the city of Troy fell, Aeneas and adventure, they met Numitor and learned their his followers escaped and sailed in search of a true parentage. They killed Amulius, freed Rhea, new home. One account of this myth claims that and restored their grandfather to the throne. Aeneas visited Carthage and had an affair with To celebrate their victory, the twins decided to Dido. Dido was the sister of Pygmalion, the tyrant found their own city. They chose a site farther king of Tyre, and had fled there to found Carthage. down the Tiber, near where they had been discov- Aeneas did not linger long in Carthage, though, ered as babies, on the largest of seven hills.