D&D General GM's Closet for the CONAN RPG

dnoonan · Jul 5, 2013

Thanks, Water Bob. And you're right--the rules are easily portable, and the setting is strongly influenced by REH in general and the Conan stories in particular.

Thule's other primary inspiration comes from the same source—Weird Tales magazine. There's a lot of H.P. Lovecraft in the setting...which gives proto-Conans plenty of tentacled horrors and Things That Should Not Be to hack into pieces with a sword of blue steel!

--Dave.

Water Bob · Aug 2, 2013

D20 S&S TOOLKIT

Some, but not all, understand the difference between traditional fantasy gaming and games set in a sword and sorcery universe. Conan's Hyborian Age is definitely of the latter.

Should you wish to use traditional d20 rules instead of Mongoose's excellent Conan Roleplaying Game (which, I see is becoming harder and harder to find, these days), try clicking here to see a set of rules that will help you shape traditional d20 gaming for sword and sorcery play.

Water Bob · Sep 13, 2013

Experience Points

Several posts earlier in this thread, I discuss how the Conan RPG is designed to be played at the lower levels. To encourage this type of gaming, I suggest that the GM be extremely stingy with XP.

In my own game, I use a simple system: A foe's base XP is 100 x Character Level. Therefore, a first player character will have to kill 10 first level enemies people before he reaches level 2. A 3rd level enemy is worth 300 XP.

After I figure the base XP, I might modify that total for circumstance. For example, if the PC had to fight a 4th level foe while the PC had nothing but his bare fists and a loincloth for equipment, I might double the XP award. Or, let's say a PC kills a enemy in is sleep. That XP award might be greatly reduced to 0 or maybe 10% of the base award, depending on the situation.

And, XP is divided among the various PCs and ally NPCs that take part in the encounter.

With non-combat encounters, I award XP with the knowledge of what it takes to gain a level (It ain't easy for a 1st level character to kill 10 foes of his own level!)

Using this system, I find that level progression is slow but steady, allowing the characters forward progress while still keeping the game gritty and among the lower levels.

Commoners actually pose a threat to the PCs for a long, long time, if the campaign is started with the PCs at 1st level.

Water Bob · Sep 13, 2013

Water Bob · Sep 20, 2013

AGE OF CONAN

Dragon Age Rule Set Used In A Hyborian Age Game.

Water Bob · Sep 21, 2013

-- CAT'S PARRY - A SOLDIER's MOVE --

The Cat's Parry (page 204 of 2E Conan) is an excellent combat maneuver that allows a defender to attack while he is defending, and thereby attain a bonus attack during the combat round.

How it works is this: A defender must use the Parry Defense (instead of Dodge), and the defender must announce that he is attempting a Cat's Parry.

When the Cat's Parry is attempted, the defender's Parry AC is reduced by -4, but if the attack is unsuccessful, the defender gets an immediate Attack of Opportunity against his attacker.

Bottom line: You lose 4 points of AC, but if you're not hit, you get a free attack.

Note that the maneuver doesn't work if the defender is hit. This way, characters with tons of hit points cannot abuse the maneuver.

Now, here's the kicker. The Cat's Parry is usually an advanced move. Barbarians, Scholars, and Temptresses have to be 8th level to use the maneuver, while Borderers, Nobles, Nomads, Pirates, and Thieves have to be 6th level.

Like the Riposte, though, Soldiers are singled out, able to use this powerful combat maneuver at 4th level. Along with the Riposte (discussed earlier in the thread), this gives Soldier-classed characters a significant combat advantage, especially since no character class is granted more than a single attack per round before 6th level (barring, of course, two-weapon fighting).

Considering that a large shield provides a Soldier with a +4 Parry bonus, the penalty for using Cat's Parry is akin to fighting without the shield. The Soldier can, of course, decide each round whether the Cat's Parry will be attempted.

If you also consider that the Conan RPG is meant to be played at the lower levels (see post earlier in this thread), where most NPCs are 10th level or less, and the vast majority are 3rd level or less, then, indeed, the Soldier's use of the Cat's Parry at 4th level is a true, hidden class bonus for Soldiers.

Water Bob · Nov 15, 2013

Water Bob · Nov 20, 2013

-- GET ALONG IN THE WILD --

Survial is an important skill to types of characters in the Hyborian Age. It may not be as important to a Scholar or Temptress, but it's certainly one of the main skills for Barbarians, Borderers, Nomads and can be an important skill for any character that spends a lot of time outside city walls.

One of the many uses of the Survival skill is dubbed Get Along in the Wild, where a character can make a base DC 10 Survial check to hunt and forage for food if the character moves overland at half speed. Success on the check removes the need for food and water supplies for the character that day. For every two points by which the check result exceeds the DC, the character can provide food and water for one other person. The GM will modify the base DC to reflect the availabilty of food and water given the terrain and environment.

The DC 10 is used for typical wilderness terrain, such as the Pictish Wilds. Look to Hyboria's Fiercest for further guidlines on hunting and foraging.

A GM will want to keep some examples handy when players use their characters' Survival skills in this way in order to convey the atmosphere. So, what exactly are the things Conan would eat and drink while free-foraging in the wild?

Quote:
From The Black Stranger, by Robert E. Howard

Conan seated himself at the board, filled a goblet and quaffed it before he answered.

"The first wine I've drunk since I left Conawaga, by Crom! Those cursed Eagles (Picts) hunted me so closely through the forest I had hardly time to munch the nuts and roots I found. Sometimes I caught frogs and ate them raw because I dared not light a fire."

The answer: Dew from leaves in the morning. Water from creeks. Wild honey. Roots. Frogs. Snakes. Squirrels. Plants and leaves. Rabbits. Nuts. Wild berries and fruits. Birds and their eggs.

Whatever can be found and is edible. The check includes identifying edible plants and roots.

Foraging for food like this means the character eats anything that he can find or catch quickly. In the snow, he may have to dig for roots. In the rocky desert, he may need to drain water from cactus. You get the idea.

Water Bob · Jan 4, 2014

HYBORIAN TALES

Click on the link.

This is a set of notes that will tweak a standard AD&D game for use during the Hyborian Age. These rules are inspired by Appendix N of the AD&D DMG.

Check the Downloads page for a custom Hyborian Tales character sheet.

Water Bob · Jan 4, 2014

CONAN ADVENTURES BASED ON HOWARD's STORIES

For the AD&D Second Edition fans, Thulsa has posted several adventures written by Wesley Connally. Each scenario is based on one of Howard's original Conan tales.

THE TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT

ROGUES IN THE HOUSE

SHADOWS IN ZAMBOULA

SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT

THE DEVIL IN IRON

THE JEWELS OF GWAHLUR

RED NAILS

HALL OF THE DEAD

THE CITY OF SKULLS

BLACK TEARS

CLICK HERE here to see a character sheet that Wesley created for use with these adventures.

AND, CLICK HERE to view tweaks to the AD&D 2E rule system for use while gaming in the Hyborian Age.