Ogygian Items
Instruments
Ogygian music ranges from the harsh, rhythmic percussions of military marches to the flowing tunes of plucked and bowed strings. Most often, Ogygian music is used as backing for some other performance or event: bards who recite tales of ancient heroes, larger troupes who perform background music for plays, athletic contests, or colosseum events, and rallying songs during army processions.Each instrument notes its 5E equivalent in pricing and proficiency, such as the bagpipes or viol. If an instrument does not have an associated 5E equivalent, it requires its own proficiency.
Strings
Gusle (viol)
The gusle is unique in that it is always accompanied by singing, especially musical folklore and epic poetry. It is a single-stringed lute typically made of maple and animal skin, with a long neck and intricately carved head. The instrument is held vertically between the knees, with the left hand fingers on the neck. A bow is pulled over the strings, which in turn are never pressed to the player's neck, creating a dramatic and sharp sound. Different groups and performances correspond with very different styles of gusle playing.
Audio Example
Lyre
Like the gusle, the lyre has a preference for vocal accompaniment, but it is also used alone in relaxed social gatherings or paired with other strings or percussions. Ogygian lyres are small enough to hold in the lap, while one hand uses a pick (secured to the lyre by string) to strum the strings and the other hand silences unwanted strings.
Audio Example
Percussion
Chochilia (dulcimer)
This percussive instrument, similar to a dulcimer, is made of seashells instead of strings. Due to their source, different chochilia have their own tones, and chochilia players most often engage in improvisation instead of formal melodies for this reason.
Rhoptron (drum)
The rhoptron is a buzzing drum made from hollowed-out piece of pine or fir with only one opening, unlike a frame drum. This opening is fitted with bronze bells and covered with oxhide, so that the bells collide with the head as it is played. The rhoptron is known for its frightening sound, resembling a mix of animal noises and lightning, and is often used in battle to intimidate opposing forces.
Wind
Aulos (shawm)
The aulos is a long, double-reeded instrument similar to an oboe, but usually with a larger mouthpiece and a second pipe connected in a V-shape. The aulos creates a penetrating, insisting sound, making it very popular in martial music, dramatic performances, athletic contests, and to mark rowing cadence on ships.
Audio Example
Gaida (bagpipes)
Unlike their more elaborate cousins, gaida exclusively have three pipes: the blowpipe, the chanter with several holes where the fingers play a melody, and the long drone pipe that provides a constant harmony note. This creates a much more solitary song than a larger bagpipe, allowing for more solemn performances when played alone, or more energetic performances with accompaniment.
Audio Example
Pan flute
As suggested by the name, the pan flute has a powerful association with the nymphs and their kin, so much so that it is almost never used outside of those allied with the nymphs. Satyrs in particular favor this instrument during celebrations or to help keep up energy during work.
Audio Example
Weapons
by Katrin Dirim
Strength is favored in combat; mauls, axes, lances, and halberds are common choices aside from swords, and training is usually hard to find for more delicate options like rapiers. Daggers and throwing knives can be found fairly easily, but are most often equipped as a last-ditch weapon or a poison vector rather than a primary choice. Even the twinblade developed by the centaurs favors dexterity exclusively to create a whirling storm of slashing blades rather than any kind of delicacy.
Some weapons note their base 5E equivalent for proficiency, such as the great club or flail. If you have proficiency with one, you have proficiency with the other. If a weapon does not have an associated 5E equivalent, it requires its own proficiency.
Bulwark Greatsword (Great Sword)
Not content to sacrifice defense for offense, some Ogygian warriors rely on greatswords that are so heavy and sturdy that they can be used as shields. Since the blade is so thick that the integrity of the weapon is hardly a concern, these swords are often adorned with complex engravings depicting icons of powerful creatures or scenes of glory.
Bulwark Greatsword
Weapon
Uncommon
Heavy, Two-Handed, Special Unyielding Defense: If you have a Strength score of at least 15, you gain +2 AC while wielding a bulwark greatsword. If a trait, spell, or feat requires the use of a shield, you can also use it with a bulwark greatsword if your Strength score is at least 15| Type | Damage | Damage | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martial Melee | 2d6 | Slashing |
Cost: 70 gp
Weight: 18 lbs
Cestus
Ogygian combat values strength, and nothing embodies strength more than one’s own fists. Frequently seen in the colosseums, the cestus is a set of padded, hard leather strips covering the fist and forearm, similar to a boxing glove. A cestus both protects the user’s hands when landing punches and enhances the strength of the blow with numerous iron studs embedded in the leather.
Cestus
Weapon
Common
Light, Special Enhanced Fists: If a trait, spell, or feat enhances your unarmed strikes, it also applies to attacks using a cestus. As a cestus must be wrapped around a user’s hands, it cannot be disarmed and takes an action to doff or don.| Type | Damage | Damage | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Melee | 1d4 | Bludgeoning |
Cost: 2 sp
Weight: 1/2 lb
Greatbow
In their efforts to protect their flocks from predatory wyverns, the cyclopes developed these incredibly sturdy bows, and they were able to shrink down the greatbow's construction to allow smaller people to use them. Nonetheless, a standard greatbow is still about six feet tall and can only use specialized greatarrows, and its formidable pull requires it to be braced in the ground with a stabilizing spike before it can be shot. All this work comes to great effect when a target is sent flying or instantly knocked from the sky.
Greatbow
Weapon
Varies
Ammunition, Range (150/700), Finesse, Heavy, Loading, Two-Handed, Special Mighty Shot. If a creature that is Medium or smaller is hit with an attack from this weapon, it is pushed back 10 feet along the path of the shot. If the attack roll is a critical hit, the creature is also knocked prone.Additionally, a greatbow is only capable of using your Strength score for attacks, not Dexterity.
| Type | Damage | Damage | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martial Ranged | 2d8 | Piercing | 150/700 ft. |
Cost: 25 gp
Weight: 12 lbs
Labrys (Great Axe)
While the greataxe is an existing choice of weapon for many Ogygians, the symmetrical, two-headed labrys axe holds a special significance. It was rarely seen until a female slave took a particularly enormous specimen as her weapon of choice in the colosseums, and with this unwieldy weapon she ascended to the height of royalty. The labrys axe has since been viewed as an icon of feminine power across Ogygia, and is the weapon of choice of clerics inspired by the deeds of this warrior-queen.
Labrys
Weapon
Varies
Heavy, Two-Handed| Type | Damage | Damage | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martial Melee | 2d6 | Slashing |
Cost: 50 gp
Weight: 10 lbs
Repeater Crossbow (Light or Heavy Crossbow)
The repeater crossbow is a one-handed marvel, utilizing a mechanism to combine the bow spanning, bolt placing, and firing actions of a regular crossbow into a single motion. The weapon can be braced against the hip and fired in the off-hand, shooting the entire magazine of bolts in 15 seconds. While the awkward rocking motion of the firing mechanism prevents the repeater crossbow from being precisely aimed or sighted along the barrel, it has proven to be a boon to mercenaries who fight with one-handed weapons and find shields unsavory, or the untrained peasantry who can afford such a tool.
Repeater Crossbow
Weapon
Varies
Ammunition (range 80/320), Heavy, Reload (10 shots), Burst Fire| Type | Damage | Damage | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Ranged | 1d8 | Piercing | 80/320 ft. |
Cost: 50 gp
Weight: 5 lbs
Twinblade
While strength is the guiding force of Ogygian combat, the centaurs developed a unique fighting style that required relatively little effort to continually pressure opponents with a flurry of slashes, and through this style they refined the original twinblade. Though the twinblade is similar in size and shape to a spear or halberd, it is almost exclusively used two-handed for wide, sweeping slashes. With a blade at each end, the user can also save time pulling back the weapon to build momentum, as the back blade is likely primed for a sweep by the time the front blade hits.
Twinblade
Weapon
Varies
Versatile, Finesse, Special Rapid Strikes: If you use two hands to make an attack with a twinblade, you can make one additional two-handed attack with the same weapon.| Type | Damage | Damage | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martial Melee | 1d8 / 1d10 | Slashing |
Cost: 15 gp
Weight: 4 lbs
Armor
Ogygian armor ranges from leather, to chain, to plate, with partial plate being the equipment of choice in most armies and mercenary groups. Unlike other nations, where partial plate is accented with leather or chain, Ogygian warriors of all genders often choose to simply expose bare skin where armor isn't covered. While some Ogygians claim that it makes it easier to wear for long periods in the humid areas of Ogygia, this exposure obviously has no tactical advantage and is almost entirely based on cultural preference; the image of a warrior so skilled in combat as to not require full protection is an enticing one, and while this means a great deal of scarring and injury, these too are only signs of experience and endurance to most Ogygians.
by Tahra
Of course, several Ogygians also prefer caution over bravado and choose fuller protection. Even in these cases, armor is often adorned with decoration to indicate status and the power to commission such pieces: capes or half-capes, plumes, layered skirts, and helmets or pauldrons modeled after bestial or fiendish heads are all common choices. Many say that armor is the greatest expression of Ogygian art and creativity, and when the variety and individuality of styles the nation's warriors display are taken into account, it's difficult to argue with that claim.
Tower Shield
These enormous shields are rarely used by any but the sturdiest of warriors. While the design and make may vary, all tower shields come up to the user’s shoulder, and many decorate the expansive space with ornate designs that are not only painted, but also engraved or embossed.
Tower Shield
Armor (Shield)
Varies
You are granted half cover (+2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws) while wielding a tower shield, and you can spend an amount of movement equal to half your speed to have three-quarters cover (+5 bonus) until the start of your next turn. If you do not have proficiency with heavy armor, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws made while wielding a tower shield.| Type | AC | STR Req. | Stealth Dis. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield | +2 | 15 | Yes |
Cost: 70 gp
Weight: 70 lbs
Adventuring Gear
Greatarrows
Greatbows are too large to use regular arrows, so they must use arrows the size of spears as ammunition. These are largely built from metal and wood, but in place of feathers, they have stabilizing fins built into the base. In a pinch, one could feasibly use these as weapons on their own.
Greatarrows (10)
Ammunition
Varies
Cost: 10 gp
Weight: 2 lbs
Hydra Blood Flask
Hydras are known for their incredible regenerative properties, and infusion of their blood can carry on that property to any other creature. Once a patient has been infused with hydra blood, successive infusions recall the first, and are all the more invigorating for it. With this recalling, however, the patient may take on additional traits of the hydra, and those who imbue hydra blood too frequently may become a mockery of a hydra themselves. The price of these flasks is therefore largely inflated, though cheaper options may be found in black markets where the risk of entry matches the risk of use.
Hydra Blood Flask
Potion
Rare
This flask comes with a needle attachment, and you regain hit points and receive additional bonuses when you inject the blood from this flask into your bloodstream. The number of hit points and the bonuses depend on the number of times you have previously injected hydra blood, as listed below. If you have hydra-blooded ancestry, you start at the third tier with your first injection.| Use | Healing | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| 1st - 3rd | 4d4 + 4 | Remove one poisoned or diseased condition afflicting your character |
| 4th - 6th | 8d4 + 8 | Above bonuses, plus you continue to heal 2d4 hit points over the next four rounds |
| 7th - 9th | 10d4 + 20 | Above bonuses, plus you gradually regrow a missing limb or other body part over the next 24 hours |
| Roll | Mutation |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | You grow patches of scales over your body, halfway between fish and lizard. |
| 3-4 | Your breath becomes eye-wateringly acrid, visible as greenish mist. |
| 5-6 | Spiny fins emerge from your forearms. You can control their angle with a little practice. |
| 7-8 | Your teeth fall out and are replaced with needle-like teeth, pointed inward like those of a salmon or other predatory fish. You can make unarmed strikes with them that inflict 1d4 piercing damage. |
| 9-10 | Your hands and feet become elongated and webbed. Your swim speed increases by 5 feet. |
| 11-12 | Your blood becomes highly acidic. If you take slashing or piercing damage from a creature within 5 feet, they take 1d4 acid damage. |
| 12-13 | You grow a flexible, scaled tail and a spiny fin that goes from the base of your neck to the tip of the tail. You can use your tail for unarmed strikes. |
| 14-15 | Whenever you next receive an open wound, instead of a scar, the wound heals over as a small version of your own face lacking hair, eyes, or teeth. |
| 16-17 | You grow a new limb, but in the wrong place. It is too vestigial to be used properly. If cut off, it may grow back. |
| 18-19 | Your saliva becomes a noxious poison, constantly drooling from your mouth. A creature who ingests this poison must make a DC 14 Constitution save or become poisoned. This includes you. |
| 20 | Your neck elongates to three feet. Unfortunately, you cannot regenerate a severed head yet. |
Cost: 1,000 gp
Mounts and Vehicles
Below are some common mounts and vehicles that can be purchased in Ogygia, including their associated costs and requirements. Also listed are any items related to maintenance or improvement. An animal pulling a carriage, cart, chariot, sled, or wagon can move weight up to five times its base carrying capacity, including the weight of the vehicle. If multiple animals pull the same vehicle, they can add their carrying capacity together. All listed animals are domesticated and do not require Animal Handling checks to ride or handle. Barding. Barding is armor designed to protect an animal’s head, neck, chest, and body. Any type of basic armor purchaseable by players can be purchased as barding. The cost and weight are multiplied from equivalent armor made for humanoids, depending on the size of the animal. Saddles. A riding sadle is exclusively to use a creature as a mount. A pack saddle includes straps and pouches to help carry equipment. A military saddle braces the rider, helping you keep your seat on an active mount in battle. It gives you advantage on any check you make to remain mounted. An exotic saddle is required for riding any aquatic or flying mount, and some unusual mounts.Mounts & Other Animals
| Creature | Cost | Speed | Carrying Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cow | 8 gp | 30 ft. | 540 lb. |
| Eagle | 40 gp | 10 ft., fly 60 ft. | 90 lb. |
| Elk | 200 gp | 50 ft. | 480 lb. |
| Giant boar | 300 gp | 40 ft. | 510 lb. |
| Giant sea horse | 80 gp | swim 40 ft. | 360 lb. |
| Hawk | 20 gp | 10 ft., fly 60 ft. | 37 lb. |
| Hippokampos | 8 gp | 5 ft., 40 ft. swim | 540 lb. |
| Horse, draft | 50 gp | 40 ft. | 540 lb. |
| Horse, riding | 75 gp | 60 ft. | 480 lb. |
| Mastiff | 25 gp | 40 ft. | 195 lb. |
| Mule | 8 gp | 40 ft. | 420 lb. |
| Ox | 80 gp | 30 ft. | 1,080 lb. |
| Varanus | 150 gp | 30 ft., 30 ft. climb, 30 ft. swim | 450 lb. |
| Warhorse | 400 gp | 60 ft. | 540 lb. |
| Xiphios | 200 gp | swim 50 ft. | 210 lb. |
| Xystoselachus | 400 gp | swim 40 ft. | 540 lb. |
Tack, Harness, & Drawn Vehicles
| Item | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Barding | x4 (Large) x6 (Huge) x8 (Gargantuan) |
x2 (Large) x4 (Huge) x6 (Gargantuan) |
| Bit and bridle | 2 gp | 1 lb. |
| Carriage | 100 gp | 600 lb. |
| Cart | 15 gp | 200 lb. |
| Chariot | 250 gp | 100 lb. |
| Feed (per day) | 5 cp. | 10 lb. |
| Saddles | ||
| Exotic | 60 gp | 40 lb. |
| Military | 20 gp | 30 lb. |
| Pack | 5 gp | 15 lb. |
| Riding | 10 gp | 25 lb. |
| Saddlebags | 4 gp | 8 lb. |
| Sled | 20 gp | 300 lb. |
| Stabling (per day) | 5 sp (Small-Large) 50 sp (Huge) 10 gp (Gargantuan) |
|
| Wagon | 35 gp | 400 lb. |
Rowed/Propelled Vehicles
Rowed Vessels. Keelboats and rowboats are used on lakes and rivers. If going downstream, add the speed of the current (typically 3 miles per hour) to the speed of the vehicle. These vehicles can’t be rowed against any significant current, but they can be pulled upstream by draft animals on the shores. Crew. Most self-propelling vehicles need a crew of skilled hirelings to function. As per the Player's Handbook, one skilled hireling costs at least 2 gp per day. The minimum number of skilled hirelings needed to crew a vehicle depends on the type of vessel. Passengers. The table indicates the number of Small and Medium passengers the vehicle can accommodate on top of the required crew. Accommodations consist of shared hammocks in tight quarters. A vehicle outfitted with private accommodations can carry one-fifth as many passengers. A passenger is usually expected to pay 5 sp per day for a hammock, but prices can vary from ship to ship. A small private cabin usually costs 2 gp per day. Damage Threshold. Some vehicles have immunity to all damage unless they take an amount of damage equal to or greater than their damage threshold, in which case they take damage as normal. Any damage that fails to meet or exceed the damage threshold is considered superficial and doesn't reduce the vehicle's hit points. Repairs. Repairs to a damaged ship can be made while the vessel is berthed, if an air or water vehicle. Repairing 1 hit point of damage requires 1 day and costs 20 gp for materials and labor.Water Vehicles
| Vehicle | Cost | Speed | Crew | Passengers | Cargo (tons) | AC & HP | Damage Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galley | 30,000 gp | 4 mph | 10 | - | 1 | 15 500 |
20 |
| Keelboat | 3,000 gp | 1 mph | 1 | 6 | 1/2 | 15 100 |
10 |
| Longship | 10,000 gp | 3 mph | 40 | 150 | 10 | 15 300 |
15 |
| Rowboat | 50 gp | 11/2 mph | 1 | 3 | - | 11 50 |
- |
| Sailing ship | 10,000 gp | 2 mph | 20 | 20 | 100 | 15 300 |
15 |
| Warship | 25,000 gp | 21/2 mph | 60 | 60 | 200 | 15 500 |
20 |
