Sergius
of Khrosha
(circa Shadows in the Moonlight [Iron
Shadows on the Moon])
Medium Human
Male
13th level Rogue
Hit Dice: 13d6+13 (61 hit points)
Initiative:
+4 (Dex)
Speed:
30
ft.
Armor
Class: 14 (+4 Dex)
Attacks: Longsword +12/+7 Melee
Damage:
Longsword 1D8+3
Special Attacks: Sneak Attack +7d6, Crippling Strike, Opportunist
Special Qualities: Evasion, Uncanny Dodge
Face/Reach: 5 ft x 5 ft/ 5ft
Saves:
Fort +5, Ref +12, Will +4
Attributes: Str 16, Dex 18, Con 13, Int
14, Wis 10, Cha 16
Skills: Balance +22, Bluff +19, Climb +19, Escape
Artist +20, Gather Information +19, Intimidate +19, Jump +19, Profession
(Sailor) +18, Search +18, Sense Motive +16, Tumble +21
Feats: Rope
Climber, Swing-by Attack, Scurvy Dog, Dodge, Mobility, Port Savvy
Climate/Terrain:
Vilayet Sea
Organization: Pirate Crew
Challenge Rating:
13
Treasure:
None
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Advancement: by character class
Sergius of
Khrosha is the captain of a captured Hyrkanian ship and a member of the infamous
Red Brotherhood of the Vilayet Sea. He is vengeful and boastful.
Although of great girth, he moves lightly, which often surprises his
opponents. He is a skilled swordsman and swears by Ishtar. He is a
Kothian, and how he came to become a pirate on the Vilayet is unknown. He
appears to know Conan of old, but that tale is never told to us (the Marvel
Comics adaptation of this story indicates that Sergius was imprisoned for a time
in Ophir because of Conan, however that is non-Canonical. All Robert E.
Howard tells us is that Sergius is an old enemy of Conan's). He seeks
vengeance against Conan and, of course, Conan kills him and takes Sergius's ship
and crew for his own.
Combat
Sergius fights with a longsword, an uncommon weapon on
the Vilayet.
Sneak Attack: If Sergius can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself from attack effectively, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Any time the opponent would be denied his dexterity bonus to AC, or when flanked, Sergius deals +7d6 damage.
Crippling Strike (Ex): Sergius can sneak attack opponents with such precision that his blows weaken and hamper them. When Sergius damages someone with a sneak attack, he also deals 1 point of temporary Strength damage.
Opportunist: Once per round, Sergius can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage by another character.
Evasion: If exposed to any effect that normally allows a character to attempt a Reflex save for half damage, Sergius takes no damage with a successful saving throw.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Sergius retains his Dexterity bonus to AC regardless of being flatfooted or struck by an invisible attacker. He also cannot be flanked; he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. He further as has intuitive sense that alerts him to danger from traps, giving him a +1 bonus to Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps.
"Shadows
in the Moonlight" by Robert E. Howard
first appeared in the April 1934 issue of Weird
Tales. It can be found also in the Lancer/Ace
collection "Conan the Freebooter" and in Donald M. Grant's "Black
Colossus." It is currently available in the British "Conan
Chronicles Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle".
To the left is the cover of The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian #4 from my collection, which features the Marvel Comics adaptation of this story (restoring Howard's original title, Iron Shadows in the Moon, in the process.
To the right is the cover of Weird Tales April 1934, which contains the first appearance of the story. Below that is the illustration that accompanied the tale.
The picture of Sergius above comes from the Savage Sword of Conan version of the story.
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