This is Too Cool, and I Must Tell You About It

[Supreme]

Cometeer! Ice Queen! Don't read what follows!

I just came up with the coolest subplot for my upcoming game and I have to Brag Supreme...

One of my players is creating a character who is the offspring of Aphrodite and a mere human male. Cool. I start thinking of how to work up a sub-plot for her character...

Aphrodite... married to Hephaestus. Beauty and Industry. Although Aphrodite's Roman counterpart dallied with mortals, Aphrodite herself did not. She only dallied with gods like Ares. OK... So, this would be too much of an insult to Hephaestus for him to bear. So, he will send his minions to Earth to retrieve this cuckoo, dead or alive, and bring her before the Olympian Court (Hephaestus can bring her shade before the court, so this is a full-on Hunted) as evidence of Aphrodite's infidelity.

But it doesn't stop there.

The PC will be told about this through Hermes. He's a nice guy, for a scoundrel, as well as a messenger. Of course he's also the god of deception, so what's he holding back? She has an option. If she let's Aphrodite "disavow" her parentage, then when the PC is brought before the Olympian Court, there will be no evidence of Aphrodite's infidelity. The drawback? The PC will permanently lose her powers. Hermes doesn't want this to happen because there's a big bad villain who will wipe out civilization, and his chances of succeeding, if this PC loses her powers, greatly increase.

It gets worse.

If Hephaestus succeeds, then Hephaestus and Aphrodite will "divorce." What happens when beauty and industry separate? No more art. The player is an artist. I'm loving this.

[Supreme Serpent]

Ouch!

In a somewhat related note...in one of my games one of the PC's is the son of Hera and a mortal man. Long story short, the group travels back into ancient times, Zeus notices the PC and discovers his parentage...and in revenge for Hera's future affair starts his own famous runnin' around.

Oh what a tangled web we weave!

[Supreme Serpent]

Of course, one wonders if the "human" Aphrodite got it on with wasn't actually a secretly transformed god / goddess who wanted the opportunity.

Hephaestus himself - looking to put his cheating wife in her place? Hermes - is that one of the reasons he's so involved? Eris - looking to sow dischord among the gods/possibly behind the villain herself?

[Supreme]

Of course, one wonders if the "human" Aphrodite got it on with wasn't actually a secretly transformed god / goddess who wanted the opportunity.

Hephaestus himself - looking to put his cheating wife in her place? Hermes - is that one of the reasons he's so involved? Eris - looking to sow dischord among the gods/possibly behind the villain herself?

Generally, I don't contradict central established elements of a PC's origin. I think it's more respectful that way. I will build on their origins though.

[Beetle]

This sounds like a really cool plot. But there's one nit that I have to pick:

Aphrodite... married to Hephaestus. Beauty and Industry. Although Aphrodite's Roman counterpart dallied with mortals, Aphrodite herself did not. She only dallied with gods like Ares.

Actually the Trojan ally Aeneas was the son of Aphrodite and the mortal Anchises (not just in the Aeneid, it's in the Illiad too - Aphrodite saves him from Diomedes). That doesn't invalidate your plot, however, because of the scandal of the coupling (and Aphrodite's morning-after regret).

One website puts it this way

Some say that it was Zeus himself who aroused in Aphrodite the desire to be joined with a mortal man, so to prevent her to say mockingly that she had joined all the gods with mortals. Aphrodite came to Anchises in the form of a beautiful maiden, saying she was a mortal woman and the daughter of one Otreus. She explained to the incredulous Anchises that she talked his language because she had been brought up by a Trojan nurse. Anchises was taken by desire, but after they had made love, Aphrodite revealed her true identity and Anchises feared the gods would destroy him for having slept with a goddess. But Aphrodite, who herself grieved for having laid in the bed of a mortal man, assured him that he was dear to the gods and nothing would happen to him, provided he would say their child was the offspring of a nymph...

According to some, Anchises, having drunk much wine, told his friends that he was the lover of the goddess, and for this reason he was struck by Zeus' thunderbolt. Others say, however, that he killed himself, and still others assert that the thunderbolt just crippled him.

So you can still have your evil fun!

[Supreme]

This sounds like a really cool plot. But there's one nit that I have to pick:

Actually the Trojan ally Aeneas was the son of Aphrodite and the mortal Anchises (not just in the Aeneid, it's in the Illiad too - Aphrodite saves him from Diomedes). That doesn't invalidate your plot, however, because of the scandal of the coupling (and Aphrodite's morning-after regret).

One website puts it this way
So you can still have your evil fun!

I read about Aeneas, but because he is supposed to be the ancestor of Italy, I assumed that it was a Roman myth about Venus confused for a Greek one about Aphrodite. Anyway, I figured that at some point someone in the game, like the Wife Supreme who used to be a Classics major, would bring up some obscure story about Aphrodite sleeping with a mortal. For that I would just say that "concessions were made" and leave it at that.

[tkdguy]

Just one note about Anchises and Aphrodite...

When Anchises boasted about having sex with Aphrodite, she punished him by taking away his sight. Just another possible plot twist.

[Beetle]

I read about Aeneas, but because he is supposed to be the ancestor of Italy, I assumed that it was a Roman myth about Venus confused for a Greek one about Aphrodite. Anyway, I figured that at some point someone in the game, like the Wife Supreme who used to be a Classics major, would bring up some obscure story about Aphrodite sleeping with a mortal. For that I would just say that "concessions were made" and leave it at that.

Cool. Like I said, I think it's a really great character idea, and a neat plot off of that. After reading the character concept, I'm not surprised to learn that the Wife Supreme was a classics major. (just don't say "if they didn't show it in Troy, it's not true")

[Mentor]

Now that's what I call a character background. This is too sweet. Thanks, Supreme.

[Supreme]

Cool. Like I said, I think it's a really great character idea, and a neat plot off of that. After reading the character concept, I'm not surprised to learn that the Wife Supreme was a classics major. (just don't say "if they didn't show it in Troy, it's not true")

Actually, it wasn't WS's idea, it was another player. But that wouldn't stop her from chiming in.
And we saw Troy... WS loved it so much that she'd accept, "but it was in 'Troy'" without further argument. Still, I have been reading about the Gods and Goddesses since I was a kid. Unfortunately, my sources haven't been as advanced as hers, but still I have a lot of strong ideas about what each of the gods represent (my current theory is that Hermes is all about virility, but that's another thread) and I'll just have to make it clear that in my game world it's my interpretation. I'm also free to say that some myths happened and some didn't and some just happened differently than Robert Graves thinks.

[Supreme]

Now that's what I call a character background. This is too sweet. Thanks, Supreme.

(Bow Supreme)

[death tribble]

And if another of the Gods comes across the plot they may help or hinder the PC. Example Zeus who is renowned for his extra marital relations may help the PC whereas Ares who was Aphrodite's lover may hinder.

There exists one Greek tale where Hephaestus caught Ares and Aphrodite in bed and dropped a net on them (he knew in advance that they would be together). He then called the other gods together to witness. He didn't come out of this at all well.

[Bengal]

I just came up with the coolest subplot for my upcoming game and I have to Brag Supreme...

I think I'm missing something here. Can we brag about anything, or just subplots? Or is it only you what gets to brag? Anyhow, if you ran this one for me, I'd probably take about one billion cigarette breaks, then pull the plug on it. I hope your guys have a better flair for the dramatic-romance aspect than I do. Or at least, I must not have a flair for it, since this one bores me.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to flame you, I think I'm literally missing the fun of this one.

[Lightray]

(my current theory is that Hermes is all about virility, but that's another thread)

Isn't Hermaphrodite the "son" of Aprodite + Hermes?

And there's the whole "herm" thing -- little priapic statues (actually depicting Priapus, IIRC).

I think you're onto something relating Hermes to the virile area -- and you might even work that in as to why Hermes would meddle in Aphrodite's love life.

[Blue]

I think I'm missing something here. Can we brag about anything, or just subplots? Or is it only you what gets to brag? Anyhow, if you ran this one for me, I'd probably take about one billion cigarette breaks, then pull the plug on it. I hope your guys have a better flair for the dramatic-romance aspect than I do. Or at least, I must not have a flair for it, since this one bores me.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to flame you, I think I'm literally missing the fun of this one.

Yeh, you sure are. I enjoy a good game where the characters are woven into the setting. It's something I've tried to do, but with about 14 PCs in all, many get neglected.