Greek hoplite Prestige Class [Archive] - Wizards Community

Greek hoplite Prestige Class [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Tenacious
02-24-07, 12:10 PM Im creating a DND world of my own. One of the kingdoms needs an elite sect of soldiers called Hoplites of the scarlet cloak - or so.

Im however bad at creating a new prestige class that wouldnt be overly powerful or extremely weak.

He should be able to use a longspear along with a shield. Which mean's he should atleast have the monkey grip feat.
I dont know any other class features he should have and i was hoping these forums would help.

(The greek hoplites used a shield a spear and a sword, forming into a ''Phalanx'' a sort of spear wall they would thrust their charging opponents to the ground)

Tenacious
enygmatic_me
02-24-07, 03:02 PM In the close combat the Hoplites tended to engage in the spear became useless fast, due to length and it's tendency to break easily. When the battles didn't turn into what amounted to little more than a glorified pushing match the short sword (Xiphos) was usually the weapon of choice.

You are probably better with using a judiciously chosen set of feats to create a Hoplite than to make a whole PrC.

Monkey Grip and Short Haft would allow the Longspear to be used one handed and against adjacent foes. That results in a total of -4 to hit though.

Quick Draw would probably be a good idea to allow for the fast change between weapons.

Shield Specialization would be a good choice to increase the protection provided.

Gear is typically a Longspear, Shortsword, Breastplate, Helmet, Greaves, and a Large Wooden Shield.

If a PrC is a must then the Prerequisites should be, in my opinion, Weapon Focus (Longspear), Monkey Grip, and Short Haft.

Through they levels a reduction to the attack penalties from Short Haft and Monkey Grip should be reduced. This shouldn't be done as a bonus to attack though as it would make the use of other weapon choices better than the combo the PrC is meant for.

Levels could stack with fighter levels (either straight or Fighter Level+Hoplite Level -2) for determining the eligability for feats.

Could gain bonus feats from a selection that is to the flavor of the PrC.

If not a list of bonus feats they should, at least, gain Bull Rush and Shield Specialization (possibly Lunging Strike) as they progress.

Not sure what else to suggest right now, hope this has helped some.
MagnaSecuris
02-24-07, 10:01 PM Okay. First, there is no way to wield the Longspear or Spear one-handed without a house rule. It would not be unusual to make them one-handed as a martial weapon (as the Bastard Sword is one-handed as a Exotic weapon). Monkey Grip does not work the way you(pl) think it does.

Breastplate is described in the SRD as "comes with a helmet and greaves." So that's already covered. It also has a +3 max Dex, so your Hoplites will probably have good Dex scores (at least 14). The sheild would either be laquered wood or bronze depending on the wealth of the individual.

I already posted my idea for the class itself in your other thread.

Also, Short Haft(PHB2) does not give a penalty to attack, it just takes a swift action to switch grips.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tenacious 02-24-07, 12:10 PM	Im creating a DND world of my own. One of the kingdoms needs an elite sect of soldiers called Hoplites of the scarlet cloak - or so. Im however bad at creating a new prestige class that wouldnt be overly powerful or extremely weak. He should be able to use a longspear along with a shield. Which mean's he should atleast have the monkey grip feat. I dont know any other class features he should have and i was hoping these forums would help. (The greek hoplites used a shield a spear and a sword, forming into a ''Phalanx'' a sort of spear wall they would thrust their charging opponents to the ground) Tenacious
enygmatic_me 02-24-07, 03:02 PM	In the close combat the Hoplites tended to engage in the spear became useless fast, due to length and it's tendency to break easily. When the battles didn't turn into what amounted to little more than a glorified pushing match the short sword (Xiphos) was usually the weapon of choice. You are probably better with using a judiciously chosen set of feats to create a Hoplite than to make a whole PrC. Monkey Grip and Short Haft would allow the Longspear to be used one handed and against adjacent foes. That results in a total of -4 to hit though. Quick Draw would probably be a good idea to allow for the fast change between weapons. Shield Specialization would be a good choice to increase the protection provided. Gear is typically a Longspear, Shortsword, Breastplate, Helmet, Greaves, and a Large Wooden Shield. If a PrC is a must then the Prerequisites should be, in my opinion, Weapon Focus (Longspear), Monkey Grip, and Short Haft. Through they levels a reduction to the attack penalties from Short Haft and Monkey Grip should be reduced. This shouldn't be done as a bonus to attack though as it would make the use of other weapon choices better than the combo the PrC is meant for. Levels could stack with fighter levels (either straight or Fighter Level+Hoplite Level -2) for determining the eligability for feats. Could gain bonus feats from a selection that is to the flavor of the PrC. If not a list of bonus feats they should, at least, gain Bull Rush and Shield Specialization (possibly Lunging Strike) as they progress. Not sure what else to suggest right now, hope this has helped some.
MagnaSecuris 02-24-07, 10:01 PM	Okay. First, there is no way to wield the Longspear or Spear one-handed without a house rule. It would not be unusual to make them one-handed as a martial weapon (as the Bastard Sword is one-handed as a Exotic weapon). Monkey Grip does not work the way you(pl) think it does. Breastplate is described in the SRD as "comes with a helmet and greaves." So that's already covered. It also has a +3 max Dex, so your Hoplites will probably have good Dex scores (at least 14). The sheild would either be laquered wood or bronze depending on the wealth of the individual. I already posted my idea for the class itself in your other thread. Also, Short Haft(PHB2) does not give a penalty to attack, it just takes a swift action to switch grips.