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

Gravin, the Priest, will become a Priest of Mitra. He's in the village. And, I might change his name to something like Gravino.


The Bugbear encounter I'm going to change to Borderers. They'll be hunters, living out in the wood. I might even make them poachers, hiding out from the lord's men, living off the local lord's deer and wildlife.


With Clombush the Ogre, I've got an idea. I'm going to make him a giant of a man. Big. Muscled. But, also a simpleton. He'll be retarded or just slow. He's the local lord's blood--his son. But, the lord dis-owned him, and had him taken to the woods to die. Somehow, he survived, though. He lives in a cave. The people in the town know of him. Some are afraid of him. They call him "The Ogre".


I'm also toying with two more ideas for Clombush. I'm thinking that he might be gifted with second sight, and when the PCs encounter him, I can use him to spout off some cryptic clue to their adventures ahead. Or, the other idea is to have Clombush think that he has second sight, but really it's just the fantasy of boy in a man's body. Through roleplaying, though, I'd try to sell it as if Clombush's power is real. If the players buy what I'm selling, it would be fun to just make up some random mumbo jumbo and see how the players react to it. Could be a hoot.


There's a ferret trainer and a Giant Ferret in the Thieves' Den. For some reason, I want to keep that, though I may change the type of animal. A big dire wolf might be more appropriate. I've just got this picture in my head of a man straining to pull on the leash of this salivating beast, then letting him go. The thing tears up the earth, foliage ripped to shreds, bee-lining for one of the PCs. Talk about a Demoralize Other check!


There are a few Barbarians in the adventure, but I think I'll turn them into a group of escaped slaves, hiding out away from the big cities--maybe trying to leave the kingdom. It will be interesting to see what the players do with these guys if they encounter them. Will they help them escape? Leave them alone? Or, capture them and return them to Messantia? Who knows, with this group.


The thieves are camped out in an abandoned temple to some generic Sun god--which is perfect for an old, abandoned temple to Mitra. There's a crypt with the dead priests, and a ghoul haunts the place. I think I'll keep that. I'll seal the crypt and make it so the bandits could not have entered--and if the PCs find a way in, they'll be the first in that dark, dusty, dank place in many years.


Lastly, there's another were-creature in the Thieves' hideout. He's supposed to be a visitor (though the module does not tell us much more about him). I'm thinking of this guy being the source of evil that has fallen on the place. I'm thinking he's a liason to some secret, sorcerous group--something that I can expand upon later in the campaign. He's the reason the Harpy has been attracted to this place. Maybe he's a Stygian Priest, or follower of some dark god out of Shem. Baby killer. Commits human sacrifices. Not sure where this is going, yet, but it is dark. A hook to be fleshed out later in the game.








And, that's it. Those are my conversion notes to make the adventure more appropriate for the Hyborian Age. I've got a little bit of everything in there--a nice appetizer displaying things to come. I've got some hooks for later, and many of the encounters could blow up into something very interesting depending on PC actions. Surely, there's enough combat there, too.


It hasn't gotten by me that the players may try to join the bandits instead of trying to root them out of the area (as the PCs are mostly thieves), which is why the first encounter is so important. I've got to anger the PCs against the bandits so that, through their own motivation, they seek out and destroy the bandits.


I need a contingency plan, too, in case my first encounter doesn't work. I can see the players visiting the town, then getting up the next day and traveling back down the road towards Messantia, leaving the town to its problems. I need to come up with something interesting--some encounter--giving them a second chance to consider taking out this group of bandits. Otherwise, the adventure is ignored.


I'm also thinking of placing some lead to Messantia as a reward in the game. The PCs take the bandit camp and find papers mentioning fence or an information broker in Messantia. The PCs can go into the city looking for this guy, and he'll be a recurring NPC--an ally of sorts. A contact. A person to off-load stolen goods, or someone where they can find out about choice jobs.


Or, maybe the PCs just find out about a job that the bandits were looking to hit next. I could use this to lead right into The God In The Bowl, but set in Messantia instead of Nemedia.


The weakest part of this is to get the players interested in destroying the bandits without railroading them. I want it to be the players' choice to do so. Need to think on that more.

-- ZAMORIAN SALUTE --




Of course we can make up our own, but it's sometimes fun to use details from Conan sources to make our games seem more real and consistent.


In Robert Jordan's novel, Conan The Invincible, Zamorian army regulars are shown to salute the officers by "knuckling their foreheads". The subordinate bows slightly and quickly touches above his brow with the first two fingers of his right hand.

-- THE RIDDLE OF STEEL --




This is a fan made document by Silas DeBoer that focuses on weapon and armor crafting in the game. A character could run a smithy using these extended rules.


THE RIDDLE OF STEEL

-- VARIANT DIPLOMACY MODIFIERS --




In the post above, where I discuss the fluidity of the Charisma check, I suggest some CHA check modifiers based on the character's relationship with the target of the check. If you look on page 50 of Hyboria's Fallen, you'll see some Diplomacy skill check modifiers based on relationship. The below modifies the DC of the Diplomacy check.

-10 for Intimates or those with Implicit Trust

-7/-9 for Friends and Siblings
-5/-6 for Allies or those which share an Allegiance
-2/-4 for Aquaintances with no particular history

+0 for those who have Just Met

+2/+4 for Aquaintances with negative history
+5/+6 for Outright Enemies
+7/+9 for Personal Foes

+10 for Sworn Enemy or Nemesis

The section goes on to discuss circumstantial modifiers that may also apply to the Diplomacy check.

-- Yuri of Raeze --






You might see him on the road to Messantia. To look at him, you'd never know that there was anything special about him. At 5' 8", he looks to be just another refugee fleeing the hell of Raeze--one of hundreds looking for a better future in King Milo's city. Doggedly, he walks on, one foot after another, his head slightly bent, watching his footing in front of him. He tramples through the mud in heavy leathern boots, common among the dock workers on the coast. Road grime travels up each leg to his knees, darkening the earthen color of his thick wool pants.

It's a hot day today, even though it rained earlier, and there is more sun than cloud in the sky now. Sweat soaks through Yuri's thin cloth shirt at the open collar, under his pits, and at the center of his back. He's got a lithe torso, but he's not as squatty as most of his countrymen. No, Yuri is muscled like a swimmer.

The man must be carrying everything he owns. He walks like a human pack-mule with gear sticking out away from him at odd angles. On his back is a full quiver. Attached to that is an unstrung hunting bow, tied by a long slip of leather to the exterior. The ends of the bow bounce, reminding you of a bug's antenna from some over-sized beast you've heard tale of in the roadside inns. A large canvas bag, packed so tight that its laces are stretched closed, hangs from one shoulder. A cheap cloth travel cloak is wrapped tight around the cylinder of the bag. Today, it's too hot to have it around the shoulders. At night, when Yuri sleeps in the forest, he will sometimes roll the cloak for use as a pillow, or he'll hang it among branches or rocks to produce some shade.

Under the opposite shoulder swings a bedroll. A fourth strap belongs to Yuri's waterskin, which is what he grabs as he stops for a moment for respite from the heat. Brown eyes close and brown hair falls backward as he tips his head to swallow fully.

Is he a fighting man? Can he take care of himself? Besides the bow, the only weapons you see are the two worn, wire and bone handle daggers that swing on each hip and the large stick in his hand--straight enough to be a staff, but Yuri is using it as a walking stick.

When he is through drinking, he straightens and opens his eyes again, looking right at you. Looking as if to see into your soul. It's as if the deep brown eyes never blink.

You can see that he's not young, but he's not past his prime, either. And, that face...you know in your heart that this man Yuri has seen sorrow in his life.

No, he may be nothing special, but he has the look of the desperate. Of one who has nothing else to lose.

In those eyes--in that stare--you know that he will kill you without hesitation if he needed to.

And, what does the man have to take, anyway? Unless that canvas bag is packed with gold or silver...but you already know that's not true by the bag's weight. The bag is stretched full, sure, but Yuri is probably carrying spare clothes or maybe a cooking pot.

This man has nothing of value that you need. And, you shouldn't pay the price it would take to test your thoughts against him.

No, let him go. Let him go on with his journey.

And you...you go on with yours.














Yuri of Raeze (also known as Yuri the Knife)
1st level Argossean Thief


Sex: Male
Age: 26
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Handedness: Right


STR: 12 (+1)
DEX: 16 (+3)
CON: 13 (+1)
INT: 15 (+2)
WIS: 12 (+1)
CHA: 11


HP: 9
Fate: 4 (if used as a player character)
XP: 0


Parry: AC 11
Dodge: AC 13


Initiative: +5
Fort: +1
Ref: +5
Will: +1


BAB: +0
Melee: +1
Finesse: +3
Ranged: +3


Code of Honor: None


LANGUAGES: Argossean (native), Aquilonian, Kothic, Ophirean, Shemitish, Stygian, Zingaran.


PROFECIENCY FEATS: Simple Weapon Proficiency (All), Martial Weapon Proficiency (All Light and One Handed Only), Light Armor Proficiency.


1st LEVEL FEAT: Point Blank Range.


ABILITIES: Sneak Attack Style (Dagger), Trap Disarming.


HYBORIAN ADAPTABILITY: Heal, Survival


HYBORIAN BACKGROUND SKILLS: Swim, Ride, Disable Device, Open Lock


40 class skill points: 4 - Craft (Herbalism), 4 - Climb, 1 - Disable Device, 3 - Search, 4 - Heal, 2 - Survival, 1 - Slight of Hand, 4 - Hide, 3 - Jump, 4 - Move Silently, 2 - Open Lock, 4 - Spot, 4 - Tumble


CLASS SKILLS


+2 Appraise
+7 Balance
+0 Bluff


+5 Climb
+6 Craft (Herbalism)
+2 Decipher Script


+0 Diplomacy
+5 Disable Device
+0 Disguise


+3 Escape Artist
+2 Forgery
+4 Gather Information


+7 Heal
+7 Hide
+0 Intimidate


+4 Jump
+2 Knowledge (Arcana)
+2 Knowledge (Nobility)


+2 Knowledge (Rumors)
+4 Knowledge (Local - Raeze)
+1 Listen


+7 Move Silently
+7 Open Lock
+5 Profession (Sailor)


+5 Search
+1 Sense Motive
+4 Slight of Hand


+5 Spot
+5 Survival
+7 Tumble


+7 Use Rope






CROSS-CLASS SKILLS


+1 Concentration
+2 Craft (Alchemy)
+0 Handle Animal


+2 Knowledge (Geography)
+2 Knowledge (Religion)
+5 Ride


+3 Swim






CLOTHING: Cloth Shirt and Braes (undergarments, though Yuri will wear the shirt as outerwear as mentioned in the description at the top). Heavy wool Pants and thick leather Dock Boots (the boots are fur lined as Yuri prefers to not wear stockings). Leather Belt.


Yuri also owns a thin Hooded Cloak made of cheap cloth. When in towns, he will don his Doublet and Tebenna (Argossean cape). These items he will fold and keep in his kit bag when traveling. The cloak, when he is not wearing it, is tied around the cylindrical bag. On his left forearm, Yuri wears a leather archer's Bracer.












KIT BAG: Yuri carries a canvas kit bag to tote his worldly items. The strap allows him to carry it over one shoulder or across his torso. Inside, you will find a Fishhook and Cat-gut Line, Whetstone, Flint & Steel, and an iron Cooking Pot. The majority of the bag is filled with the tools of his trade: Thieves Tools, Healer's Kit, and a Herbalist Kit. This bag is stuffed so tight that it is difficult to tie the leather laces, especially when Yuri's tebenna and doublet are added to the rest.








OTHER EQUIPMENT: A tightly bound Bedroll he carries over the opposite shoulder. Along with it hangs a Waterskin. On his weapon belt hangs a stiff leather Pouch that he uses to carry his coin (currently, Yuri has 5 silver Argossean drachmas).


Note: Yuri carries four main items on his torso and back: Quiver/Bow, Kit Bag, Bedroll, and Waterskin.










QUIVER AND BOW: Yuri owns a Quiver similar to the one shown in the pic below. A pocket on the outside of the quiver holds extra bow strings. As you can see in the picture, the Hunting Bow can also be held in the quiver, whether strung or unstrung. Note how it stick out both ends. This proves to be a bit awkward sometimes when moving cross-country (not easy climbing over rocks with the tips of the bow sticking out like that), but for traveling down the road, it's perfect.

The quiver holds a maximum of 20 arrows. Note the leather is flexible, and the two straps allow the quiver to be worn on the back or at the hip attached by the waist belt (though it's not easy at all to carry the bow with the quiver on the hip).

It takes a standard action to pull the bow from the quiver. It's a move action to string the bow. Both can be done in a single combat round (making the bow ready to fire the following round).

When hunting, of course, Yuri will hold the bow with both hands and one arrow knocked so that quickly he can aim, pull, and fire (as a normal attack).


Note that Yuri has the Point Blank Shot Feat.


CLICK HERE TO SEE QUIVER








WEAPONS: Besides the bow, Yuri carries a Staff that he uses as a walking stick. If Yuri has range on his opponent, he'll use the bow. If he's trying to keep a foe at length, he will use the staff as a Reach weapon.


But, Yuri's favorite combat style is to use two daggers, one in each hand. He carries two worn bone and wire hilt Daggers on his Weapon Belt, one on each hip. Yuri is an experienced knife-man having learned the secrets of the sneak attack style with daggers, whether thrown or in melee.








ARMOR: When it is not too hot, Yuri will don his cheap Leather Jerkin. This helps to keep the straps from his kit bag, quiver, bedroll, and waterskin from biting into his flesh as he moves down the road.

-- A TALE OF WOE - YURI OF RAEZE --



Background Notes. Player's eyes only.



-- Khor Kalba is the most intact ruin from the time of Acheron known to exist. It sits atop a rock on the Argossean coast, in the Shaipur region, near the border of Shem. The fortress is impregnable, and scholars today argue that Khor Kalba must have fallen from treachery within. The warlord Khalar Zym has laid claim to the place, using it as the hub for his massive, multi-national army.



-- Raeze is a small town near Khor Kalba that began as refuge for Acheronian grave robbers, explorers, and scholar adventurers who frequented trips into labyrinthine Khor Kalba. When Khalar Zym planted his flag, Raeze grew as the closest point of civilization, servicing Zym's enormous army.



-- Yuri's father, Nicolas, is a native of Messantia, born in Cranetown. A fisherman by trade, Nicolas left heavy Messantian competition for the smaller town of Raeze. Though Raeze does not sit on the shore, Nicolas never-the-less made a good living by fishing all day and hauling his catch back to the town each evening. In his success, Nicolas married above his station to Saphirra, the daughter of salt and spices merchant.



-- Nicolas and Saphirra had three children. Yuri is the oldest. The middle child was their daughter, Agatha. And, the youngest was Simon, who died while still an infant.



-- As Khalar Zym and his witch daughter, Marique, came to power, it became an open secret that Zym was holding ancient blood ceremonies with Marique that involved human sacrifice. Raeze, at one time rife with beggars and homeless, became a tomb at night with no knowing soul venturing out after the sun set. Yuri does not know all the facts, but what he has gathered is that his father fell on hard times in the face of increased competition. Nicolas' secret had found its way through the years to other fishermen. Whether by misfortune and happenstance or someone's dogged plan, both Nicolas and Saphirra went missing on the same night. At this time, Yuri had entered his teens and was an apprentice to his father. Yuri's questions eventually led him to believe that both his parents had been taken by Zym's men and used in one of Marique's dark rites. Whether that be truth or not, Nicolas and Saphirra have never been seen again.



-- Yuri took care of his sister Agatha from that night forward. He became an apprentice to his maternal grandfather, Erco Columbo, who by now had graduated from trading in salt and spices to a long list of herbal items. These were dire years for Yuri and his sister for the two of them learned that there was no love for them among their grandparents. Erco always stated that Saphirra had slighted the family name by marrying below her status--something that just was not done in Argossean culture.



-- At age 16, Yuri left his tutelage at Erco's hands to serve his mandatory time in the service of Argos. But, it was not the sea to which Yuri was sent. He became an archer, serving the kingdom among the interior baronies. He spent much of his time chasing bandits in the hills between Argos and Shem.



-- Three years later, Yuri returned to Raeze to resume his place with Erco as an apprentice herbalist. Erco was hard on him, and in an attempt to rectify the family name, forced an arranged marriage on Yuri. There was never any love between Yuri and Flamina, and the two argued on many nights. Erco seemed to more and more enraged at the further beating the Columbo name was taking.



-- Erco's rage came to a head one night five years later. Yuri and his sister were banished from the Colombo family. Kicked out on the street, Yuri did what he had to in order to feed himself and his sister. These were the first steps he took in becoming a thief, age 23.



-- Eventually, Yuri and Agatha (he had left Flamina with no regrets, though he is still officially married) found a shack near the water to get them off the street. It was about this time that Yuri began about leaving Raeze for a better life in Messantia--the exact opposite of what his father had done. But, an opportunity came his way. Yuri signed on as a deckhand on a merchant vessel--a vocation that would take Yuri away from Agatha for close to two years. It was during this time that Yuri acquired the nickname, Yuri The Knife.



-- While Yuri was away at sea, Khalar Zym and his daughter, Marique, found their deaths in the Skull Cave, not far from Khor Kalba. King Milo wasted no time raising an army to fight against the remnant of Zym's army. The Messantian king made sure none of Zym's lieutenants would assume the power that had become a real concern for the Argossean monarch.



-- Yuri returned from the sea to find Raeze a smoking ruin. In the aftermath of Milo's attack, Raeze has become a place of pestilence and death. Tragedy raised it's ugly head again as Yuri could not find Agatha. Their home by the shore had been destroyed. Agatha was nowhere to be found. Yuri has been told conflicting reports on his sister's fate. Some say that she fell sick. Some say that she died in the fighting (and that Erco Columbo would not take her in during the siege). Some say that soldiers--he's been told from both sides--raped and killed her. Others say that her body was burned along with many others. Whatever the truth, Agatha cannot be found, and Yuri believes that she is dead.



-- Today, Yuri has packed every item he owns on his back, and he has left Raeze on foot, heading for Messantia.

-- PRIESTS --






Hyborian Age Priests is a sampling of Priest characters from around the world. This document is written by prolific Conan RPG writer Vincent N. Darlarge, and it is meant to be used with the Faith & Fervour hardback.

-- SORCERY TALES AND THE GAME RULES --






I love the sorcery system in the Conan RPG. It so perfectly fits how sorcery is portrayed in the Conan stories. A good example is highlighted on page 124 of The Scrolls of Skelos. The last chapter of that book should be considered required reading for any GM using sorcery in his game.


The example to which I am referring discusses the event in Queen of the Black Coast where the winged devil transforms an entire Stygian war party into were-beasts in one night.


How the heck was that accomplished in terms of the game's rules?


The Rules of Sorcery were obeyed. In this case, it's The Rule of Success. Each time the winged devil cast the spell, Awful Rite of the Were-Beast, successfully, the next casting cost half the power points. The spell's description dictates that the sorcerer regains Power Points at each successful casting, too, as though the sorcerer had sacrificed the victim.


Combined, the two rules allow the winged devil to cast the powerful spell 50 times during the night while his victims slumber.


Sorcery should be approached creatively. Imagine the PCs leaving their NPC load carriers outside of the tomb while the PCs explore, and when the PCs return, they find all of the NPCs dead, or, worse, transformed into some sort of horrible foes.


Another example given in the text uses the fact that Yara's tower fell not long after Yogah dies, in the story, The Tower of the Elephant. Why? Because Yogah's maser builder spell ceased to function upon the death of the sorcerer who cast it, as described in The Rule of Impermanence.


As I said above, the last chapter of The Scrolls of Skelos, starting on page 120, should be read and properly digested before a GM allows sorcery in his game.

-- FLYING RULES --




If you ever find yourself in need of rules to help you govern movement in three dimensions, look no further than page 127 of The Scrolls of Skelos. So, the next time the hero in your game leaps onto the back of some pre-historic bird, chasing the bad guy, these rules will help you govern the chase through the clouds.

-- DEFENSE --






FLATFOOTED


Flatfooted in this game does not mean "completely defenseless". To the contrary, a flatfooted individual still has quite a bit of defense--as much as the average person in a fight. All flatfooted means is "slow to react".


Every character's base defence is AC 10 (unless DEX is 9 or less, in which case the DEX penalty is applied to lower the base defense). The average person is DEX 10 or DEX 11, with STR 10 or STR 11, either resulting in a +0 modifier. Thus, for the average person, the following applies--


Base Defense: AC 10


Parry Defense: AC 10


Dodge Defense: AC 10


It's all the same.










FLATFOOTED CHARACTER STILL DODGE AND PARRY -- THEY JUST DO IT SLOWER THAN NORMAL


Heroes have higher STR and DEX scores, giving them bonuses to Dodge and Parry--making those AC values higher than Base Defense. The term "flatfooted" only means that a character is using his Base Defense, not his increased Dodge or Parry defense. In reality, the flatfooted character is still dodging and parrying. He's not just standing there, waiting for you to hit him. The difference between a parrying character with STR 14 (+1 modifier) and the same character that is flatfooted is only 1 point of defense. His Parry AC is AC 11, while his flatfooted AC is AC 10.










SECURED CHARACTER THAT CAN STILL MOVE A BIT


Now, consider a character that has his hands and feet tied, but he's hopping around--still able to defend himself just a little bit. He cannot parry at all, but he has limited ability to dodge blows. This charcter cannot benefit at all from his DEX. Looking at the chart, DEX 0 has a -5 modifier. Thus this character's defense is AC 5. That's a heck of a lot lower than the character's flatfooted state.


If you sneak up on an enemy, and he has no idea that you're there, then he's effectively flatfooted. He's AC 10. But, if you bind his hands, legs and feet, but still allow him to hop around a bit, he's AC 5. AC 5 is, in many cases, an automatic hit--or close to it.


In my game, if I chain a character by the neck to a wall, giving him a little bit of length with which to move, this is when I would use the DEX 0 rule. Another time might be when characters are shackled to the wall but can still use their feet. When to use this rule is up to the GM.










TIED UP CHARACTER THAT CAN'T MOVE AT ALL


Let's go a step further and tie the character up so that he can't move at all. If a character can produce no defense at all, then he can't Parry, he's considered to have DEX 0 and the -5 modifier, AND a he suffers a -4 defense penalty, making the tied up character, effectively AC 1. The only way this character will not be hit is if he gets extremely lucky and his foe rolls a natural 1 on the attack throw (which is always considered a miss). Otherwise, it's an automatic hit.








UNCONSCIOUS CHARACTERS


Sleeping characters and characters that are completely helpless can have a Coup de Grace put on them. When this happens, any attack automatically hits (no roll needed), and the result is an automatic Critical Hit. AND, even if the character survives the attack, the character must still make a Fortitude Save at DC 10 + Damage or be slain.










A REVIEW OF DEFENSE


AC 10+ .... Dodge Defense is 10 + DEX modifier
AC 10+ .... Parry Defense is 10 + STR modifier


AC 10 ... Flatfooted. The character cannot use his Dodge or Parry bonuses, but he is still considered dodging and parrying with his base defense.


AC 5 ... Secured character that cannot Parry at all and has limited ability to Dodge.


AC 1 ... Secured character that cannot move at all. Attacks are automatic except for a natural 1 on the attack throw.


AC 0 ... Sleeping or Unconscious character. Attacks are automatic, damage is always consisered a Critical Hit, and the character must make a Fortitude Save at DC 10 + damage or die.










- VARIANT RULE - GETTING THE DROP -


A variant I use in my game is a version of the Coup de Grace unconscious rule above plus the DEX 0 modiifier. I use this in a situation when one character "has the drop" on another. A situation where a character has the drop on a character is that when a guard has a leveled crossbow at a prisoner. Or, when a thief sneaks up behind a target and slips his blade beneath the target's throat. Both of these situations are examples of when one character has a great advantage over the other.


For this rule to work as intended, I consider the target to be AC 0. That is, the character is AC 5 due to the DEX 0 -5 penalty.


If a hit is made, then the damage is automatically Critical damage.


Thus, if a guard has a prisoner "covered", then the prisoner is considered AC 5 and any shot that hits is considered Critical. In order to "cover" a character, a melee weapon must be stuck in his back, or a nocked bow or crossbow must be leveled at the character from no less than 30 feet away (usually 15 feet).


Use common sense. A sling cannot be used to "cover" someone, but a crossbow can. A dagger or spear must be shoved in the back of the covered character, but a Javelin cannot be used. A nocked bow pointed at a target can cover that target, but holding a nocked bow is an exercise in strength and usually cannot be done for more than a few combat rounds.


"Covering" a character will make your players respect any who have a dagger at their throats or a crossbow leveled at them.





- ANOTHER VARIANT DROP RULE -


I sometimes play around with the "covered" rule. One other method I've considered is to give the character with the drop on another a +4 to his Critical Threat range, but otherwise play the game normally. Thus, if a guard is covering a prisoner with a crossbow, then his Critical Threat range with the crossbow is a natural 15+. This means, if a 15 or better is thrown for attack, the crossbow gets double damage (4d6 damage), increasing the chance that 20+ points will be delivered from a single attack, which will trigger the Massive Damage Rule (roll Fort Save or die).


I haven't used this rule in a while, and as I write this, I think I like this second variant better.





- YET A THIRD VERSION OF THE VARIANT DROP RULE -


This is another version of the variant above. Instead of a flat +4 modifier used to increase Critical Threat range, this rule will tie the bonus into the user's experience. The Critical Threat range increase is equal to the character Base Attack Bonus.


Thus, a 1st level Soldier that has the drop on Conan will increase the weapon's Critical Threat range by +1. A 1st level Thief, though, has a BAB +0, which means his Critical Threat range bonus will not kick in until Level 2 when the Thief has seen more action and is more experienced.


A 5th level Soldier has a BAB +5, and thus, when the Captain of the Guard has someone covered, his Critical Threat range is increased by +5. He just needs to roll a natural 14 or better in order to roll a Critical Hit and get a chance at rolling enough damage (20+ points) to trigger the Massive Damage rule.