(circa "The Black Stranger")
Medium Human
15th level Rogue
Hit Points: 15d6 (54 hitpoints)
Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 16 (+1 Dex, +5 Masterwork Breastplate)
Attacks: Cutlass +13/+8/+3
Damage: Cutlass 1d6+2
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Sneak Attack +7d6, Crippling Strike
Special Qualities: Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Defensive Roll
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +10, Will +6
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 15
Skills: Appraise +19, Balance +19, Bluff +20, Climb +20, Profession (Navigator) +20, Gather Information +20, Intimidate +20, Spot +21, Innuendo +20, Sense Motive +19, Listen +2
Feats: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Expertise, Quickdraw, Leadership, Improved Initiative
Climate/Terrain: Zingara, Pictish Wilderness, Barachan Isles
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Advancement: by Character class
The Black Stranger
Belesa
Tina
Count Valenso Korzetta
Black Zarono the Buccaneer
Galbro the Senschenal (Valenso's Cohort)
Combat
Sneak Attack: If Strom catches an opponent flat-footed or when they cannot effectively defend themselves, he can strike for +7d6 damage. (See Crippling Strike below)
Uncanny Dodge: Strom keeps his dex bonus to AC, can't be flanked, and gets a +2 save vs traps.
Crippling Strike: Strom's sneak attacks are so precise that if he successfully does a Sneak Attack, he also does 1 point of strength damage to the victim.
Defensive Roll: Strom can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it. Reflex save (DC=Damage dealt) for half damage 1/day when a blow would reduce him to 0 hit points or less.
After it was rejected, Howard made an unsuccessful attempt to salvage the story as a pirate yarn, substituting his pirate hero, Black Vulmea, for Conan, and calling it "Swords of the Red Brotherhood."
L. Sprague de Camp later found the original draft of the Conan version of the story and severly edited it so that the story would fit better into his personal idea of Conan's chronology. This rewrite was titled "The Treasure of Tranicos." De Camp changed the ending of the story: In the original, Conan decides to take up piracy again. In De Camp's alteration, some Aquilonian nobles divine Conan's location and go there to pick him up so he can lead a revolt against the King of Aquilonia. De Camp also changed the identity of the Black Stranger, changing it unnecessarily from a demon from the outer dark to Thoth Amon. He further changed the names of some characters. Strom became Strombanni in De Camp's recension.
Howard's original tale, unedited, was first published in paperback in 1987 in Karl Edward Wagner's "Echoes of Valor". It has since been published in Millenium Press' "Conan Chronicles Volume 2", which was recently released and is still in print.
