I Am creating a homebrew adventure for my party and I'll give you a basic rundown. Originally the characters are treasure hunters that are exploring an ancient temple inside a ruined city inside a jungle. Inside the Temple however is an ancient spirit who's body was spared from the cataclysmic events that destroyed the city by evil entities. The spirit attempts to possess a adventurer or npc (giving the adventurers reason to go after the spirit) this spirit however seeks to free the ancient evils from their prisons that once saved it from certain destruction. Each bad guy is themed after a different civilization. The spirit being Roman, Echidna (One of the ancient evils) for Greece, and Mictlān (one of the ancient evils) as Aztec. The big question is what kind of monsters would I use to fill these prisons and surrounding areas. I know there are some obvious monsters such as minotaurs for Greece but what else?
Greece: Medusa/Gorgons, Hellhounds, Cyclops, Spirits, Hydra, Harpies, Chimeras, giants, manticore, Furies - those are all I can recall off the top of my head. A lot of the Roman monsters are similar though there are some unique ones.
You could purchase the Mythic Odyssey of Theros or the monsters at leasts. As far as I understand, the monsters in that are based on Greek Mythology primarily.
For Aztec monsters, consider creatures and plants you'd find in Omu, from Tomb of Annihilation. Froghemoth, flail snail, zorbo, assassin vine, quetzacoatlus, grungs, fire newts, even flying snakes and couatls might fit the theme. There's also a section in the appendix of Tomb of Annihilation that has some unique jungle flora and fauna that might suit your environment.
If I may offer a more radical suggestion, you might want to avoid doing both Greece and Rome. While there are differences in names and some mythological differences, the basics of the Greek-Roman-Etruscan pantheon are relatively consistent, and you are are going to run into some difficulties differentiating the religions.
I would likely choose Egyptian or Mesopotamian pantheons for your third option. Both are polytheistic religions with a high degree of recognisability to laypeople, and are sufficiently different from Aztec and Greco-Roman mythology as to be easily distinguished.
As for encounters, the Labours of Heracles/Hercules give you twelve different encounters you can build around. The different stops on the Odyssey or the Argo’s voyage could also be used. If you are splitting Rome off rather than using a more distinguishable pantheon, you might want to do something with the encounters from the Aeneid as that is a foundational Roman myth (though, it should be noted, their foundational myth is born of Greek’s oldest written legends - again showing how closely tied their religions are).
If you are willing to homebrew monsters, there are lots of good mythological creatures from those places and other similar places.
Aun pana- Hairy monster fish with arms
Mapinguari- A giant one-eyed bear-sloth monster with a mouth on its stomach.
Ahuizotl- An aquatic dog-like beast with a long tail that has a clawed hand on the end of it. It enjoys eating eyeballs, toenails, and teeth.
Encantado- Basically a brazilian dolphinwere. Takes the form of a handsome man whenever it hears of a party but transforms back into a riverdophin at dawn.
There is also a hideous ogre-like monster said to guard the caves of warlocks.
Xolotl could come into play. He is the dog-headed Aztec god of fire, lightning, deformaties, Axolotls, and death. He is the one that ferries the dead across the river of death to get to the afterlife and he created axolotls as a snack food for the people.
For the Aztec monsters, you could have Oxkokoltzecs. They are like stereotypical cavemen with loincloths but they have chicken legs. They dance around but kill people accidentally because they are so clumsy.
I Am creating a homebrew adventure for my party and I'll give you a basic rundown. Originally the characters are treasure hunters that are exploring an ancient temple inside a ruined city inside a jungle. Inside the Temple however is an ancient spirit who's body was spared from the cataclysmic events that destroyed the city by evil entities. The spirit attempts to possess a adventurer or npc (giving the adventurers reason to go after the spirit) this spirit however seeks to free the ancient evils from their prisons that once saved it from certain destruction. Each bad guy is themed after a different civilization. The spirit being Roman, Echidna (One of the ancient evils) for Greece, and Mictlān (one of the ancient evils) as Aztec. The big question is what kind of monsters would I use to fill these prisons and surrounding areas. I know there are some obvious monsters such as minotaurs for Greece but what else?
Greece: Medusa/Gorgons, Hellhounds, Cyclops, Spirits, Hydra, Harpies, Chimeras, giants, manticore, Furies - those are all I can recall off the top of my head. A lot of the Roman monsters are similar though there are some unique ones.
You could purchase the Mythic Odyssey of Theros or the monsters at leasts. As far as I understand, the monsters in that are based on Greek Mythology primarily.
Good luck.
For Aztec monsters, consider creatures and plants you'd find in Omu, from Tomb of Annihilation. Froghemoth, flail snail, zorbo, assassin vine, quetzacoatlus, grungs, fire newts, even flying snakes and couatls might fit the theme. There's also a section in the appendix of Tomb of Annihilation that has some unique jungle flora and fauna that might suit your environment.
Thanks so much, I'll definitely look into Mythic Odyssey of There's and I like the animal aspect for Aztec, thanks so much.
If I may offer a more radical suggestion, you might want to avoid doing both Greece and Rome. While there are differences in names and some mythological differences, the basics of the Greek-Roman-Etruscan pantheon are relatively consistent, and you are are going to run into some difficulties differentiating the religions.
I would likely choose Egyptian or Mesopotamian pantheons for your third option. Both are polytheistic religions with a high degree of recognisability to laypeople, and are sufficiently different from Aztec and Greco-Roman mythology as to be easily distinguished.
As for encounters, the Labours of Heracles/Hercules give you twelve different encounters you can build around. The different stops on the Odyssey or the Argo’s voyage could also be used. If you are splitting Rome off rather than using a more distinguishable pantheon, you might want to do something with the encounters from the Aeneid as that is a foundational Roman myth (though, it should be noted, their foundational myth is born of Greek’s oldest written legends - again showing how closely tied their religions are).
If you are willing to homebrew monsters, there are lots of good mythological creatures from those places and other similar places.
Aun pana- Hairy monster fish with arms
Mapinguari- A giant one-eyed bear-sloth monster with a mouth on its stomach.
Ahuizotl- An aquatic dog-like beast with a long tail that has a clawed hand on the end of it. It enjoys eating eyeballs, toenails, and teeth.
Encantado- Basically a brazilian dolphinwere. Takes the form of a handsome man whenever it hears of a party but transforms back into a riverdophin at dawn.
There is also a hideous ogre-like monster said to guard the caves of warlocks.
Xolotl could come into play. He is the dog-headed Aztec god of fire, lightning, deformaties, Axolotls, and death. He is the one that ferries the dead across the river of death to get to the afterlife and he created axolotls as a snack food for the people.
For the Aztec monsters, you could have Oxkokoltzecs. They are like stereotypical cavemen with loincloths but they have chicken legs. They dance around but kill people accidentally because they are so clumsy.
Interesting 🤔