Defining its own Mythology

[Raven Crowking]

Well, I never said I wasn't rusty on my Conan.

Aww, hell, for Sh*ts & giggles, you never accounted for Xaltotun. Could Conan kill him under your rules? (I'm obviously rusty on this one, but I'm pretty sure he chopped that dude down.)

Conan got a mystic jewel (artifact) that negated Xaltotun's powers. Then he led his army to defeat the guys Xaltotun put in charge of his kingdom, while another spellcaster dealt with Xaltotun. In order to get the jewel, Conan had to fight.......humans and a giant snake. He also encountered some undead creatures that have no simple D&D analog. In one case, he was beaten (and rescued) and in another case he fled.

All-in-all, it could work using my houserule exactly as it did in Conan.

RC

 

[PeterWeller]

Thanks Didn't he end up using that sword to off him, though? (And no, I'm confusing Xaltotun with Thulsa Doom from the movie, hehe.)

 

[Raven Crowking]

Thanks Didn't he end up using that sword to off him, though? (And no, I'm confusing Xaltotun with Thulsa Doom from the movie, hehe.)

Nah. In the novel, Hour of the Dragon, it is revealed that Conan protected an unpopular religious sect when he took the crown of Aquilonia. After his kingdom is usurped, agents of that sect aid him to regain his throne.

I forgot to mention earlier that Conan also fought an ape in that story, but the ape nearly kills him.

RC

 

[Hussar]

I think you could use a refresher on your Howard. Pick any one demon, and we'll see exactly what it can do in terms of D&D 3e.


*snip*

RC

I decided to take that up. Just for the challenge and the enjoyment of reading Conan again. So, I went to the first Conan story The Phoenix in the Blade which can be found on the Gutenburg Project. As I remembered, there is a demon in that story. Conan fights him. I'll quote the text:

At that instant a fearful scream burst from the rogues at the door as a black misshapen shadow fell across the wall. All but Ascalante wheeled at that cry, and then, howling like dogs, they burst blindly through the door in a raving, blaspheming mob, and scattered through the corridors in screaming flight.

Fear aura.

The flying weapon glanced singing from the slanting skull it should have crushed, and the king was hurled half-way across the chamber by the impact of the giant body.

DR right off the bat.

Over his mangled arm it glared fiendishly into the king's eyes, in which there began to be mirrored a likeness of the horror which stared from the dead eyes of Ascalante. Conan felt his soul shrivel and begin to be drawn out of his body, to drown in the yellow wells of cosmic horror which glimmered spectrally in the formless chaos that was growing about him and engulfing all life and sanity.

Gaze attack that sounds like save or die.

And his outflung hand struck something his dazed fighting-brain recognized as the hilt of his broken sword. Instinctively he gripped it and struck with all the power of nerve and thew, as a man stabs with a dagger. The broken blade sank deep and Conan's arm was released as the abhorrent mouth gaped as in agony.

Magic weapons required to harm the monster. Yup, definitely DR.

So, Demons in Conan's world are incredibly strong (even Conan could not break its grip), have death gaze attacks and damage reduction. Sounds pretty close to D&D demons. Doesn't a Nabassu (sp) have pretty much exactly these abilities?

 

[PeterWeller]

So my memory isn't that bad after all. Thanks Hussar.

 

[Hussar]

Taking a look at the Nabassu posted on the WOTC site, I'd say our Conan critter isn't too far off. Probably somewhere half way between the Cr 5 juvenile which doesn't have the DR to shrug off axe attacks from Conan and the CR 15 version adult which has too many SLA's to really fit.

Although, since we don't know how the demon managed to pass all the way through Conan's palace with no one seeing it, it's quite possible that it retains its teleport ability. If you yanked off the wings and the SLA's from the CR 15 version, you'd probably get pretty close. The Regeneration/Good would fit perfectly with the idea that only the Phoenix sword could kill the beast.

Yet, even the CR 10 version is going to absolutely hammer a party that lacks magic weapons and a cleric. Even if they win, they're going to be losing LOTS of levels.

 

[Raven Crowking]

So my memory isn't that bad after all. Thanks Hussar.

Care to elaborate?

 

[PeterWeller]

Care to elaborate?

Did you bother reading Hussar's post, or are you just trying to perpetuate the argument now?

 

[Raven Crowking]

Did you bother reading Hussar's post, or are you just trying to perpetuate the argument now?

I don't currently read Hussar's posts.

RC

 

[Remathilis]

I don't currently read Hussar's posts.

RC

Then for your non-ignore reading:

I decided to take that up. Just for the challenge and the enjoyment of reading Conan again. So, I went to the first Conan story The Phoenix in the Blade which can be found on the Gutenburg Project. As I remembered, there is a demon in that story. Conan fights him. I'll quote the text:

Quote:
At that instant a fearful scream burst from the rogues at the door as a black misshapen shadow fell across the wall. All but Ascalante wheeled at that cry, and then, howling like dogs, they burst blindly through the door in a raving, blaspheming mob, and scattered through the corridors in screaming flight.


Fear aura.

Quote:
The flying weapon glanced singing from the slanting skull it should have crushed, and the king was hurled half-way across the chamber by the impact of the giant body.


DR right off the bat.

Quote:
Over his mangled arm it glared fiendishly into the king's eyes, in which there began to be mirrored a likeness of the horror which stared from the dead eyes of Ascalante. Conan felt his soul shrivel and begin to be drawn out of his body, to drown in the yellow wells of cosmic horror which glimmered spectrally in the formless chaos that was growing about him and engulfing all life and sanity.


Gaze attack that sounds like save or die.

Quote:
And his outflung hand struck something his dazed fighting-brain recognized as the hilt of his broken sword. Instinctively he gripped it and struck with all the power of nerve and thew, as a man stabs with a dagger. The broken blade sank deep and Conan's arm was released as the abhorrent mouth gaped as in agony.


Magic weapons required to harm the monster. Yup, definitely DR.

So, Demons in Conan's world are incredibly strong (even Conan could not break its grip), have death gaze attacks and damage reduction. Sounds pretty close to D&D demons. Doesn't a Nabassu (sp) have pretty much exactly these abilities?