GURPS Gladius Arcana

"At the start of its second millennium, Rome is in great danger. The gods grow angry at an empire that pays them little honor, and withdraw their protection. The emperors squander the public trust. The rule of law fails, in the city and its many provinces. Barbarians, monsters, and magic cults threaten honest citizens and disrupt trade. If the empire will survive, wealthy and powerful men, in Rome’s ancient tradition, need to step forward as benefactors of their cities." (GURPS Fantasy, p. 195)

Player characters are slaves of Quintus Didias Severus, a successful merchant with a yen for adventure and travel. They are treated humanely, educated in the rudiments of reading and writing, and allowed to purchase their freedom if they are able. The most intelligent slaves are given more formal education and sometimes, once freemen, go into business with Master Quintus. Strong slaves are trained in the combat arts and given the honor of performing in the gladiatorial arena. While many are wounded or even killed, all hope to win not only their freedom but fortune and glory.

Campaign Background

Campaign name: GURPS Gladius Arcana

Starting year: 1011 AUC (258 CE)

Genre: Sword & sandal historical fantasy

Realistic or cinematic? Cinematic

General theme of campaign: Gladiatorial combat and adventure in the Roman Empire

Are there multiple planes of existence? Yes

Campaign World: Roma Arcana (see GURPS Fantasy, pp. 195-232)

Campaign’s base city, nation, empire, or planet: Severus Circus travels far and wide.

Society/government type: Dictatorship

Control Rating: CR4

Tech level: 2

General mana level: Normal

Do areas of higher/lower mana exist? Yes

Brief description of important neighboring powers, political/economic situation, etc.:

Information for PCs

Player characters are trained gladiators who perform for Severus Circus and Games. Players are advised to adhere as closely as possible to the Gladiator template found in GURPS Martial Arts: Gladiators (p. 28) or GURPS Fantasy (p. 215).

Starting point value allowed for PCs: 150

Disadvantage limit (including Quirks): -75

PC races allowed: Human

Especially appropriate professions: Characters are property of Quintus Didias Severus, owner and proprietor of Severus Circus & Games.

Starting Wealth:

Starting Wealth levels allowed: Wealth (Struggling) is required for beginning characters.

Starting Status levels allowed: -2

Starting TLs allowed: TL 2

Languages available: Latin is the lingua franca of the Empire, spoken throughout Italy and widespread in the Western provinces, though less common in the East. Greek is the second language of most Romans and Italians; it is commonly spoken in the Eastern provinces as well as Africa. Punic is the language of Carthaginian and Phoenician traders, and is very common in Africa, southern Spain, and the Eastern provinces. Aramaic is the most common tongue of the East, spoken throughout Syria and Asia Minor.

Note: Those taken into slavery as children will have been raised with Latin as their "native" tongue (reading and writing free of cost in GURPS terms). In the Didias Severus household, all slaves have the opportunity to learn spoken Greek at any level. Only slaves with above-average intelligence (IQ 11+) are taught to read and write in Greek.

Cultural Familiarities available: Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Gaulish, Germanic, Spanish, African, Danubian, Celtic, Hittite, Assyrian, Hebrew, Persian

Advantages, Disadvantages, and Skills

Required Advantages:

Required Disadvantages: Duty (Extremely hazardous; 12 or less) [-15]; Status -2 [-10]; Social Stigma (Valuable property) [-10]; Wealth (Struggling) [-10]

Especially appropriate Advantages: Combat Reflexes, Luck

Especially appropriate Disadvantages: Bully; Callous; Compulsive Carousing; Discipline of Faith (Ritualism or Mysticism); Greed; Lecherousness; Overconfidence; Reputation; Stubbornness. Code of Honor (Gladiator). See GURPS Martial Arts Gladiators', p. 19.

Especially appropriate Skills: Current Affairs (Sports), Esoteric Medicine, Games (Roman Gladiator), Performance, Savoir-Faire (Ludus), Sex Appeal, Surgery.

Especially appropriate Styles: Greek martial arts: Ancient Greek Boxing (MA 153); Hoplomachia (MA 161); Pankration (MA 188-89); Submission Wrestling (MA 205). Roman martial arts: Armatura (MA 150)

Disallowed advantages, disadvantages, and skills: Characters will later be able to develop cinematic advantages, skills and techniques, but may not begins with them. Supernatural traits are occasionally gifted by the gods, but are not allowed in character creation.

Appropriate Patrons, Allies or Contacts: Disallowed for beginning PCs. Once freemen, former slaves of Master Quintus have the option of acquiring him as a Patron.

Special Abilities Allowed for PCs

Exotic/supernatural traits: Disallowed for beginning PCs.

Cinematic skills: Disallowed for beginning PCs.

Are PC mages allowed? Disallowed for beginning PCs.

Are PC psis allowed? Disallowed for beginning PCs.

Are PC gadgeteers allowed? Disallowed for beginning PCs.

Rulebooks and Resources

GURPS Basic Set 4th edition

GURPS 4th edition Low-Tech

GURPS 4th edition Martial Arts

GURPS 4th edition Martial Arts: Gladiators

See also

GURPS 4th edition Fantasy for information on the Roma Arcana setting.

GURPS 3rd edition Imperial Rome for background on the historic Roman Empire as well as greater details on society and daily life.