Philoctetes

Philoctetes was the son of King Poeas of Meliboea in Thessaly. He was famed as an archer, an Argonaut and was a participant in the Trojan War. He was exiled on the island of Lemnos, when wounded by snake-bite, and his eventually recalled by the Greeks.

• Gender – Male
• Race – Human
• Occupation –
• Religion – Hellenic Pantheon, 
• Allies – 
• Enemies – 
• Abode/Base of operations –  
• Nationality –
• Alignment – Neutral Evil
• Affiliation (s) –
• Significant others – 

The story

Philoctetes was stranded on the Island of Lemnos by the Greeks before the start of the Trojan War. He received a wound on his foot that festered and had a terrible smell. After being bitten by a snake that Hera sent to molest him as punishment for his service to Heracles. (As he was the only one who would light Heracles’ funeral pyre, Heracles bestowed on Philoctetes his magical bow and arrows.)

Philoctetes remained on Lemnos, alone, for ten years.

Helenus, son of King Priam of Troy, was forced to reveal, under torture, that one of the conditions of the Greeks winning the Trojan War, was that they had to use the bow and arrows of Heracles. Upon hearing this, Odysseus then retrieved Philoctetes from Lemnos. Philoctetes’ wound wash healed by a son of the gods’ physician Asclepius. Philoctetes then killed many Trojan heroes, including Paris, son of Priam and husband of Helen. After the war, he went to Italy and founded the town of Petilia in Calabria.

Trojan War: Roleplaying in the Age of Homeric Adventure

A Mythic Vistas Sourcebook for the d20 System
Written by Aaron Rosenberg

Former Argonaut, suitor of Helen, and now leader among the Achaeans, Philoctetes kills Paris with Heracles’ bow and arrows. Philoctetes also joins Odysseus and hides inside the Trojan Horse to end the war. The lord of Olizon, Meliboea and other locales throughout Thessaly, he is bound by the Oath of Tyndareus, like many other Achaean lords. When the Greeks raise the war cry, Philoctetes answers.

Unfortunately, he does not immediately join the war. While making the journey to Troy, Achilles kills King Tenes despite warnings from his mother Thetis. To assuage the anger of the gods, Achilles makes an offering to Apollo, but a water snake emerges from the altar and bites Philoctetes, incapacitating him with a wound leaking a terrible stench. Unable to bring the injured lord along for the stink of the injury, the Achaeans leave Philoctetes on the isle of Lemnos to recover. There, Philoctetes survives by shooting birds from the sky.

Eventually, the seer Calchas prophesized the city could only be taken if the Achaeans had the bow and arrows of Heracles. And so Odysseus and Diomedes return to Lemnos to retrieve the great archer and his weapons. Healed by a son of Asclepius, Philoctetes rejoins the war and slays Paris with a poisoned arrow.

Philoctetes
Male human Fighter 8/Ranger 6/Assassin 2;
Medium humanoid
Hit Dice	8d10+16 plus 6d8+12 plus 2d6+4; hp 93;
Initiative	+5
Speed	25 ft.
Armor Class	26, touch 15, flat-footed 21.
Base Attack/Grapple	+15/+19
Attack	+20 melee (1d6+5/19- 20, +1 short sword) or +28 ranged (1d8+12/x3 and poison, +5 composite (+4) longbow of distance);
Full Attack	+20/+15/+10 melee (1d6+5/19- 20, +1 short sword) or +26/+26/+21/+16 ranged (1d8+12/x3 and poison, +5 composite (+4) longbow of distance);
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	combat style (archery), death attack, favored enemies (humans) +4, improved combat style (archery), poison use, sneak attack +1d6;
Special Qualities	animal companion, poison save +1, uncanny dodge, wild empathy +7;
Saves	Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +5;
Abilities	Strength 18, Dexterity 20, Constitution 14, Intelligence 11, Wisdom 12, Charisma 8.
Skills	Climb+5, Disguise +3, Handle Animal +8, Hide +17, Jump +5, Knowledge (nature) +8, Listen +11, Move Silently +15, Ride +9, Spot +11, Survival +7 (+9 aboveground natural environments);
Feats	Alertness, Diehard, Dodge, EnduranceB, Far Shot, Greater Weapon Focus (composite longbow), Great Fortitude, ManyshotB, Mobility, Point Blank, Precise Shot, Rapid ShotB, Shot on the Run, TrackB, Weapon Focus (composite longbow), Weapon Specialization (composite longbow).
Environment	–
Organization	–
Challenge Rating	16
Treasure	–
Alignment	Neutral Evil

Assassin Spells Known (Cast per Day 1; save DC 10 + spell level):

1st –Detect Poison, cat’s grace, true strike.

Ranger Spells Prepared (Cast per Day 2; sav DC 11 + spell level):

1st–delay poison, longstrider.

Possessions: +1 bronze panoply, bronze round shield, +1 short sword, +5 composite (+4) longbow of distance, 20 arrows, 8 doses of poison (as deathblade, Injury DC 20; 1d6 Constitution/2d6 Constitution)

Osprey Animal companion;
Tiny animal
Hit Dice	3d8; hp 13;
Initiative	+4
Speed	10 ft., fly 60 ft. (average);
Armor Class	20, touch 16, flat-footed 16;
Base Attack/Grapple	+2/ -8;
Attack	+8 melee (1d4-2, talons);
Full Attack	+8 melee (1d4-2, talons);
Space/Reach	–
Special Attacks	–
Special Qualities	Evasion, Low-Light Vision, share spells, tricks (fighting, hunting);
Saves	Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +3;
Abilities	Strength 7, Dexterity 18, Constitution 10, Intelligence 2, Wisdom 14, Charisma 6.
Skills	Listen +2, Spot +14;
Feats	Weapon Finesse.
Environment	–
Organization	–
Challenge Rating	–
Treasure	–
Alignment	Neutral