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

Water Bob · Feb 15, 2014

-- Intimidate From Iron Heroes --

I have comments about the Intimidate skill posted earlier in the thread. Looking over the D&D variant Iron Heroes, I see another method for using Demoralize Other in the Conan game (as well as other ideas).

This is quoted from the Iron Heroes Players Handbook

INTIMIDATE

Check: You instill fear into your target, forcing him to take actions against his will or turning him into a nervous, clumsy wreck. You can use the Intimidate skill in one of two ways to
intimidate one target at a time.

Browbeat Target: You can change another’s behavior with a successful check. The result of your Intimidate check is the Difficulty Class that your target must achieve using his choice
of a Will save, a base attack check, or an Intimidate check of his own. Before your target acts, he must make a check.

If he fails, he does as you order him to do. You cannot compel a person to take a dangerous, self-destructive, or plainly foolish action. For example, you could browbeat a town guard into standing back while you carry off the crown jewels, but you could not force him to attack his allies or help you with your burden. In most cases, Intimidate can force a target to take no action or to stop interfering with you. The target makes a new save or check each round and continues to do so until 1d6 minutes after you have left his presence.

If the target succeeds in his check or saves against your intimidation attempt, he may act as normal, but you can try to intimidate him again. If he beats the DC by 5 points or more, you may not make another Intimidate check against him for the rest of the encounter.

Demoralize Opponent: You can also use Intimidate to weaken an opponent’s resolve in combat. The result of your Intimidate check is the Difficulty Class that your target must
achieve using his choice of a Will save, a base attack check, or an Intimidate check of his own.

If you win, the target becomes shaken for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. You can intimidate only an opponent that you threaten in melee combat and that can see you.

Action: Intimidating an opponent is a standard action.

Special: You gain a +4 bonus on your Intimidate check for every size category that you are larger than your target. Conversely, you take a –4 penalty on your Intimidate check
for every size category that you are smaller than your target. A character immune to fear can’t be intimidated, nor can nonintelligent creatures.

Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2 bonus to Intimidate checks.

Take 10/20: Trying to intimidate someone is an inherently stressful situation. You cannot take 10 or 20 with this skill.

Extended Skill Checks: You can use an extended Intimidate check to force someone slowly into subservience. You must achieve a given number of Intimidate check successes before hitting a certain number of failures. Make one check each day on consecutive days; if you miss one or more days, you suffer one automatic failure for each day missed. You must reach a number of successes equal to 5 + your target’s Charisma modifier, while getting five failures means that you cannot force him into service. You can intimidate only one person per day in this manner, spending at least four hours each day browbeating your unwilling servant. The target of this use of Intimidate can have no more than half your Hit Dice. You can have a number of unwilling servants equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. (If this total is 0 or less, you cannot have any.) A person forced into service in this manner obeys any nondangerous commands you give
him. He never risks his life or property for you.

Mass Intimidation: You can attempt to intimidate more than one person at a time. In this case, one opponent of the DM’s choice makes a single check to resist you. This result stands
for everyone in the group. However, you suffer a –2 penalty to your check for each opponent beyond the first. Your DM may allow more than one person to make a check to resist
you, with each checker representing a different subgroup of those you wish to intimidate. For example, while you attempt to steal the Rendergest Emerald, the town guard and a small
group of thieves burst into Duke Rendergest’s vault. You use Intimidate to freeze them in place and escape up a rope leading to the roof. The DM judges that the captain of the guard will resist your check on behalf of his men, while the outlaw Tyra Redblade resists on behalf of her cronies.
You can use mass intimidation with either use of Intimidate (demoralizing or browbeating a foe).
Power Intimidate: You make a spectacular claim of power, call out your opponent’s courage, or take a risky gambit to find a foe’s secret fear. A tough or determined enemy can see
through your ploy, but a weak one quakes before your power.

In return for a –5 penalty to your Intimidate check, you can increase the morale penalty you inflict by –1 or force an opponent to take an action that is against his interests (but
not life threatening). For example, you could force a guard to help you carry the treasure he was supposed to protect. You can take this challenge multiple times to increase the morale penalty. In the case of compelling others to obey you, your DM may increase the penalty for particularly demanding commands. However, you can never use Intimidate to force someone to obey a life-threatening order.

Water Bob · Feb 16, 2014

-- Demoralize Other Variant --

This is a third variant on using Demoralize Other in your Conan game. The first variant came from the Pathfinder game, and the second method was taken from the Iron Heroes game. Both are excellent rule enhancements for a Conan game.

This third variant is a House Rule I devised.

When Demoralize Other is used, follow the rules in the Conan RPG as written. This variant only changes the length of time an opponent is demoralized.

In the Conan RPG, an opponent is demoralized for one round only. With this variant, the opponent remains demoralized for as long as it takes the opponent to roll higher than the demoralizer's Intimidate check.

There are two ways to do this. When the Demoralize Other action is performed, record the attacker's Intimidate check if the Demoralize Other attempt is successful. Like breaking a grapple, each round, the demoralized opponent may attempt to roll against that number as a Free Action.

For example, Arn makes a successful Demoralize Other attempt against Zhan. Until Arn's next turn, Zhan will be demoralized. Arn rolled a 17 on his check.

The next round Zhan may try to shake off the effect. He rolls against DC 17. If he's successful, Zhan has successfully shaken off the effect. If not, Zhan remains demoralized but may try again to shake off the effect on the following round.

The second method is for GM's (like me) who do not like to track numbers over multiple rounds. I wouldn't want to keep up with that DC 17 for several combat rounds, especially if I had several different combatants fighting at the same time.

Instead of recording the original Intimidate score, just roll the Demoralize Other attempt every round as a free action (for both sides--the attacker trying to keep the effect while the defender is trying to shake it off). When the defender wins the toss, the effect is broken, and the defender is no longer demoralized.

The next question is: Can a Demoralize Other attempt be made on the same opponent later in the combat after the defender has shaken the effect? Or, more simply: Can Demoralize Other be used more than once on the same defender in the same combat?

The answer is really up to the GM, but I will refer you to the line on page 107 of 2E Conan where it says that retries usually don't work as characters can only be intimidated so far.

I offer two choices:

1. Only allow the Demoralize Other attempt once per defender, and be done with it. Simple. Easy. Clean.

2. Or, allow the Demoralize Other attempts to be made as many times as a player wants to use the tactic but allow the defender a +5 circumstance bonus for each attempt after the first. This way, the first use of Demoralize Other will be rolled normally. If used again on the same defender, the defender gets an additional +5 to his roll to resist. If used a third time on the same defender, the defender gets a +10 to his roll to resist. And so on. This method allows attempts to be made but keeps the spirit of the line in the rules that says: Trying again is optional but not recommended because retries usually do not work.

Water Bob · Feb 16, 2014

Supplement Four said:
Restrictive Armor

- Optional Rule -

Here's a third idea for implementing Restrictive Armor rules into your Conan game (if you do not like the previous two options I've suggested earlier in the thread).

Simply apply half of a character's total Armor Check Penalty (including helmet and shield) as a penalty to the character's attack throw, making him less effective in combat (in effect, allowing those who can move easier a bit of an advantage in attack but not in defense).

If half seems too big a penalty to you, then use a third or some other fraction you think appropriate.

For example, a Nemedian Knight, wearing Plate Armor (-6 ACP) and visored helm (-1/-2 ACP) with a large kite shield (-4 ACP), has a total Armor Check Penalty of -11/-12, depending on if his visor is up or down. He won't be doing much climbing in that gear. This means that he's -5/-6 on his attacks (visor up/visor down). But, the character does benefit from Damage Reduction 11/12 and +4 AC to Parry Defense due to his armor, helm, and shield.

This may be a good House Rule to represent Conan's preference for lighter, more maneuverable armors.

Water Bob · Feb 16, 2014

Game Example of New Armor Variant Rule

A few posts above this one, I suggest a rule where the Armor Check Penalty is used to determine an attack penalty for the character to reflect mechanically passages in Howard's text like the quotes below from Black Colossus. I think a third of the ACP is more appropriate than half as I originally suggested above.

Yasmela disappeared again through the curtains and clapped her hands for her slaves.

At her command they brought harness to replace Conan's chain-mail – gorget, sollerets, cuirass, pauldrons, jambes, cuisses and sallet. When Yasmela again drew the curtains, a Conan in burnished steel stood before his audience. Clad in the platearmor, vizor lifted and dark face shadowed by the black plumes that nodded above his helmet, there was a grim impressiveness about him that even Thespides grudgingly noted. A jest died suddenly on Amalric's lips.

"By Mitra," said he slowly, "I never expected to see you cased in coat-armor, but you do not put it to shame. By my fingerbones, Conan, I have seen kings who wore their harness less regally than you!"

(Later in the story, this next line appears....)

There Conan halted, swinging off his horse. He had discarded the plate-armor for the more familiar chain-mail.

Why would Conan do this in mechanical game terms? Why would he give up total damage reduction of 11 (Plate Armor DR 10, Visored Helm DR +1/+2) with visor lifted for total damage reduction of 7 (Mail Hauberk DR 6, Visored Helm DR +1/+2) with visor lifted? Just for a 1 point difference in Max DEX Bonus (Max DEX with Plate is +2, with the Mail Hauberk, it's +3)? Speed is the same at 25 ft. Nothing else, in the Conan game, affects melee combat. So, it doesn't really make real sense for Conan to want to switch to the less protective armor.

But, if we throw in the optional rule where a character takes a penalty on his attack throws equal to a third of his total armor check penalty, we now have a mechanical reason to back up Conan's choice.

With the Plate, Conan is -3 or -4 to hit, depending on if his visor is up or down. With the mail, Conan's penalty to hit becomes -2 with visor either up or down.

Conan must have decided that he prefers a -2 attack penalty with total DR 8 (visor down) and Max DEX at +3 rather than have a -4 attack penalty with total DR 12 (visor down) and Max DEX +2.

It's a trade off.

Water Bob · Feb 16, 2014

WaterBob said:
Game Example of New Armor Variant Rule

A few posts above this one, I suggest a rule where the Armor Check Penalty is used to determine an attack penalty for the character to reflect mechanically passages in Howard's text like the quotes below from Black Colossus. I think a third of the ACP is more appropriate than half as I originally suggested above.

Yasmela disappeared again through the curtains and clapped her hands for her slaves.

At her command they brought harness to replace Conan's chain-mail – gorget, sollerets, cuirass, pauldrons, jambes, cuisses and sallet. When Yasmela again drew the curtains, a Conan in burnished steel stood before his audience. Clad in the platearmor, vizor lifted and dark face shadowed by the black plumes that nodded above his helmet, there was a grim impressiveness about him that even Thespides grudgingly noted. A jest died suddenly on Amalric's lips.

"By Mitra," said he slowly, "I never expected to see you cased in coat-armor, but you do not put it to shame. By my fingerbones, Conan, I have seen kings who wore their harness less regally than you!"

(Later in the story, this next line appears....)

There Conan halted, swinging off his horse. He had discarded the plate-armor for the more familiar chain-mail.

Click to expand...

Within the game, without house rules, it can be argued that Conan made the choice he did above because he was not proficient in Heavy Armor. The Mail Hauberk is Medium Armor, which Barbarians get as a free Feat at 1st level. Without proficiency with Heavy Armor (without having the Heavy Armor Feat), Conan would be subject to using the full Armor Check Penalty for Plate Armor on his attack rolls. That's a -6 penalty for the armor alone. Include the helm, and the penalty grows to -8 if the visor is down. That would clearly be enough for Conan to prefer the armor for which he has been trained to use, which is the Medium Armor Mail Hauberk.

The arguable question is if Conan has multi-classed with Soldier before the events of Black Colossus.

If you follow the traditional L. Sprague de Camp timeline (that is used with almost all pastiches and early Marvel comics, then Conan certainly has served as an irregular with the army of Turan (and, therefore, has probably multi-classed into Soldier). According to the stats for King Conan, listed in the back of The Road of Kings, Conan does gain two levels in Soldier (Barbarian 15/Soldier 2/ Thief 1).

Other timelines dispute whether Conan actually served as a Turanian Soldier. Stories of the mighty barbarian as part of Turan's host are all pastiche. None are written by Howard. And even if Conan were a part of Turan's force, it is clear that he was an irregular. Conan could have served time in the army but not taken levels in Soldier. The two Soldier levels he gains by the time he is king can easily be said were acquired during his time with Black Colossus--just shortly afterwards. Or, at sometime after the events of that story. Because, at the end of Black Colossus, Conan is still the general of Khoraja's forces. We don't really know how long Conan stayed in that kingdom, in that position, after the encounter with Natohk. Maybe he stayed there long enough to gain two levels in Soldier and learn Heavy Armor.

Water Bob · Feb 23, 2014

EMPIRES OF THE HYBORIAN AGE

Click on the title above to download the book.

Empires of the Hyborian Age was to be an official Mongoose sourcebook for the Conan RPG. When the news came out that Mongoose would no longer publish the game, Empires was released by the company for free to Conan fans. By clicking on the title above, you will download the pre-published manuscript for Mongoose's Conan RPG supplement, Empires of the Hyborian Age.

Water Bob · Feb 26, 2014

TERROR OF THE UNKNOWN

I've struggled a bit with this rule,listed on page 376 of the 2E Core Rulebook. On the one hand, the Conan GM is encouraged to keep his game gritty and low level. On the other hand, this rule, although well intended, has our heroes running from creatures like little girls. How often did Conan run from things that made his hair crawl? Never. But, there are several instances where his hair does crawl.

I suggest using the Terror of the Unknown rule as-is for NPCs. If all of a hero's henchmen run out on him, the brighter the light shown on the hero to save the day. But, for PCs, I suggest treating the rule a bit like the old morale rule in the D&D game (not the AD&D game). Morale checks in that game were for NPCs only. Players decided on their own how to play their characters given certain circumstances.

If a PC fails a Terror of the Unknown check, I suggest applying the mechanical effects on the character, but stop shy of making the character run from the creature.

The easy House Rule on this is to make PCs who fail the check, 3rd level and under, frightened for 3d6 rounds. If you want to put a bit more penalty on PCs who are 1st or 2nd level, then remove the time limit. Those characters will be in the frightened state for as long as they are around the creature that frightened them (or in the spooky place where the creature is encountered).

What we're doing is removing the flee and fall unconscious aspects of the rule for PCs only.

Another idea (or, you can use both) for frightened characters of 1st or 2nd level is to increase the frightened penalties to -4 (basically doubling them). The most detailed House Rule could be something like this:

TERROR OF THE UNKNOWN FOR PCs

1. Characters of 4th level or higher are immune to the effects.

2. 3rd level PCs who fail the check become frightened (-2 to attacks, saves, skill and ability checks) for as long as they are in the presence of the creature and 3d6 rounds afterwards.

3. 2nd level PCs who fail the check become frightened for as long as they are in the area of the creature that frightened them (even after the creature is dead), but their level of fright brings their penalty higher, to -3 to attacks, saves, skill and ability checks.

4. 1st level PCs who fail the check become frightened for as long as they are in the area of the creature that frightened them (even after the creature is dead), but their level of fright brings their penalty higher, to -4 to attacks, saves, skill and ability checks.

I believe going with some version of this rule will still bring in the Conan flavor to the game (of Conan's hair standing on end at the sight of undead or mystical) but will keep the heroes from running away every time the GM exposes them to some new devilish monster that they've never fought before. Players will still dread the outcome, even without being forced to fall unconscious or run away, because of the duration suggested above. If a 2nd level character fails the check, then he is -3 to attacks, saves, skill and ability checks for as long as he's in the area of the creature that made him frightened. This could be for the entire length of a dungeon being explored!

Nothing needs to be written in stone here. The GM can use a version of the rule that suits his tastes and play style. The idea is to keep the spirit of the rule (and what it is attempting to bring to the game) without making PCs run and fall unconscious all the time (that's boring). If a 1st level character becomes frightened, but it's been a long while. And, the GM thinks the character should not feel those effects anymore (maybe give him a second check), then, by all means, forget the House Rule and keep the game going, fun for all.

Water Bob · Mar 2, 2014

CONAN-IZING THIEVES OF THE FOREST

I'm starting a new Conan campaign. This one is the exact opposite of my previous one. Where the other featured Cimmerians and their clan and village, this one will focus on a large Hyborian city. Where the other was primarily wilderness adventure, this one is more traditional, with city encounters as well as journeys out into the wilds. Where before, I only allowed the PCs to be of the Barbarian class, in this one, I'll let the players pick whatever class they want to play. Where my last campaign was plot-heavy with a grim story to be told, with this one, I'm just going to create a large sandbox, plop the characters down into it, and watch what they do. The story will come from the players' interests and actions. Open world.

Messantia will be the large Hyborian city--mainly due to the fact I want to get some use out of the boxed set I purchased years ago. I've got the Argos and Zingara hardback, too.

I didn't realize the full scope at first, but Argos is turning out to be the ideal place (most versatile) to base a campaign. You've got large cities on the coast, with ports, for city adventures. The interior of Argos is quite feudal, with serfs and lords--a perfect place to set traditional D&D type fair, with the land full of caves and keeps and ruins. The ruins, all about, are from ancient Acheron and the other civilizations that have lived in the same area.

There are thick forests all around the interior and the large, wide, Khorotas River. Mountains on the border with Zingara. Deserty, hilly, broken lands on the border with Shem. Even a swamp or two. All different terrains in which to set adventures.

Then, with the port, it's not that hard to have a sea-based adventure, or travel north, up the coast to adventure in the Pictish wilds or among the red-haired Vanir. Or, go south, into the city-states of Shem, or into ancient, dark Stygia, or even farther south, into the savage Black Kingdoms.

The Road of Kings starts at Messantia and travels through the heart of the Hyborian kingdoms--again, another easy path to take the game somewhere else for a while then bring it back.

Almost all types of adventure can be had here, by using Argos as a hub.

Penumbra's THIEVES IN THE FOREST, by Atlas Games

My first thought was to just plop the players down into Messantia and let them loose. As it turns out, I've got four players, and three have never played, or really read, Conan before. So, I figured I'd better modify my initial thoughts and go with something simple right at first, as a prelude to the characters reaching Messantia.

I still wanted to go with the "sandbox" flavor, but on a smaller scale. I stumbled upon the perfect adventure for my needs. Back when 3E was first published, Atlas Games, under their Penumbra banner, published a very clean, very simple little sandbox called Thieves In The Forest. When I asked the new players which character class they like to play best, they all said "thieves". So, with a thief focused campaign in mind, the Atlas adventure caught my eye just with its title.

As written, Thieves in the Forest is extremely basic introductory scenario for standard D&D. The PCs happen upon a small village that is being harried by bandits. PC do-gooders become the champions of the town by rooting out the bandits. The adventure is basically a big map, with the town in the center, and a number of encounter locations spread out along the roads, trails, and river on the map. The PCs are let loose in this sandbox with the ultimate goal of wiping out the bandits.

OK, simple enough, but I need to Conan-ize it for my game.

CONAN-IZING A SIMPLE D&D ADVENTURE

My players will begin the game on the road to Messantia. I'm not going to tell them that I'm starting with this prelude adventure. So, I'll need something--some type of motivation--to get the players interested in snooping around this starter-sandbox and going up against the bandits. My plan is to set up a first encounter where the PCs meet some of these thieves on the road and are robbed. I'm not going to try to kill them. The encounter, I envision to be heavy on the roleplaying and likely, but not absolutely destined, to break out into combat. I'm going to make the bandits strong with the goal of capturing the PCs. But, if the PCs fight well or get lucky, then maybe they'll wipe out these bandits.

Likely, the bandits win, and they'll take everything of value from the PCs. I'm going to roleplay the bandits in such a way, trying to get under the players' skins. I want the players to want to take vengeance on the bandits.

In other words, the key to getting the PCs to stick around is to make it personal.

Water Bob · Mar 2, 2014

There's only a handful of encounters in the adventure. One is a wereboar, but he's neutral to the PCs. He doesn't have to fight the PCs unless circumstances dictate it. I'm thinking of that witch in the '82 Conan film that seemed to be a were-something. Maybe a were-cat. I'm going to play this guy like that. He'll be neutral to the PCs. He may help them, and he may not. It just depends on how it all plays out. The PCs may never know that he is a were-something.

And, I think I'll change it from a wereboar to something a little more sexy. I think I'll just keep it mysterious and not name it. If they see the guy change, then I'll describe how he looks and let the players try to guess what he is.

The more fanciful creatures, I'll take out. There's an Ochre Jelly in the Thieves hideout. That's gone. There's some mutated Yellow Mold that I'm undecided about. I may take it out, but then again, it covers a chest--so the PCs will know that they're up against something if they try to open it. All of the magic perks, I take out. All magical armor is ignored, and magical weapons are changed to their normal counterparts. I turn magic rings into silver or brass--something the PCs can sell. I lower the amount of money the PC will get from downing foes and exploring. These Argosseans are serfs. They've got no coin, and if they've got no coin, then the bandits have little to steal from them. Treasure is lowered from 10% to nothing, depending on what makes sense. Which is why I'm considering keeping the Mold. The players will be damn hungry for treasure, and the mold presents a challenge for them.

There's a Harpy in a tree near one of the roads. I've been thinking about digging through the Conan Beastiary and trying to find something that fits the Hyborian Age a bit better, but I may keep the Harpy. I haven't fleshed it out yet, but I'm thinking that Sorcery is at work here. Sorcery is frowned upon in Argos,and in some of the cities, it's illegal. But, sorcery has returned, and evil attracts evil--so this creature from the Outer Dark has entered this world and perched in that tree. I'm still considering all of this. I like the evil begets evil aspect, though.

Water Bob · Mar 2, 2014

With the bandits, I want to add a bit more depth to them. Since three quarters of my players aren't very familiar with Conan, I'm going to bring in a reference to the recent 2011 movie. I figure that Khalar Zym was a bandit leader become warlord in these parts, then he became a "Shadow Lord". Since there's no real definition of a "Shadow Lord", I'm going to have to make it up. These are things that will be introduced here but revisited and built upon later in the campaign.

As far as the bandits go, here's what I'm thinking: When Zym was in power, he had his supporters among some of the lords in interior Argos. The County/Barony/Duchy that the players are now in (I haven't worked out all the details yet) supported Zym back at the height of his power. But, Zym fell a few years ago. The story doesn't mention a barbarian that took his life in the Skull Cave on the coast, but what everybody knows is that King Milo led a force of combined forces against Zym's army at Khor Kalba (a Acheronian ruin on the coast near the Argos/Shem border). Zym's forces broke without any leadership and spread to the four winds or were killed. And, Zym disappeared--some say that he's still out there trying to rebuild what he had (few know that Conan killed him).

For an Argossean, reputation is paramount. Those nobles closely linked with Zym felt the heat when Zym's power evaporated almost over night.

This County/Barony/Duchy where the PCs travel, somewhere north of Messantia, is broke. And that state is one of the most embarrassing among a people who put on airs. So, this particular noble came up with a plan. He created the bandit group, and through them, the noble is trying to rebuild his wealth from that of his serfs--well, mostly from the caravans and merchants that travel through his lands.