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

[Water Bob]

-- May Your Mombay Be Bright --



In my campaign, I have made up a people called the Jaren. Over the ages, Shem and Argos have warred. The border has moved. At some time in history, Shem held more of the Argossean territory than it does today. In addition, Argos is quite cosmopolitan, especially in the coastal regions and certainly in the large cities. People of all over the world are quite common due to the vigorous trade offered in Argos.

Most of Argos is fertile and very green, with several forested areas. Towards the border with Shem is an area that is very dry and quite like a rocky desert (although it is not believed to have been that way in the days of antiquity). This area is called the Shar, and several areas in and around the Shar have a distinct Shemitish flavor, such as the Shaipur Ravine, the Shaipur Forest (which is actually north of the Shar), and the Shaipur Outpost.

A gypsy like people, called the Jaren, are native to this region. They are of mixed blood, part Argossean and part Shemite. They tend to be poor. Some are nomadic in the sense that they travel together in caravans from town to town, like gypsies, never staying in any one place too long. These are the more civilized counterparts to their brethren who live in the hills between Shem and Argos--mostly raiders and bandits who harass the border towns, passes, and the more secluded reaches of the Shar. Life as a Jaren is usually hard, and it is not unusual to find flocks of orphan Jaren begging in the streets of the towns in the Shar.

The Jaren can be spotted immediately because of their high foreheads. One Jaren that has become known throughout the land (and at one time equaled the power of the king, himself) is the warlord Khalar Zym. He ruled an empire inside a kingdom and gathered peoples from far off lands, as well as hordes of Jaren, before his death a few years ago.

Mombay

"Mombay" is a Jaren word referring to a person's outlook--his personality when it comes to the choices he makes. Although a Jaren would describe it like this:

Mombay? Why, it is the color of a man's soul!

A Jaren hillman who has his men sack a town, rape the women, and take the children as slaves to be sold at market can be said to have "dark mombay." A parting expression among friends is usually something like, "May your mombay be bright," which means, "May luck shine down on you." Or, "May your decisions lead you to prosperity."

 

[Water Bob]

-- SHOOTING AT A TARGET IN MELEE --






Look up-thread a bit, and you will find a different idea for a rule to cover the chance that a character other than your target is attacked when using a missile weapon to attack a foe engaged in melee. I think this rule is easier to use, though, and it is inspired by a similar type of attack described under the Bull Rush maneuver (see page 204 of the 2E Core Rulebook).


The Rule: There is a flat 25% chance that a target other than the one intended is attacked when using a missile or thrown weapon at a target engaged in melee.


Process: Whenever a target engaged in melee is targeted, simply roll a d4 (or percentage dice), and if 25% is indicated, randomly target a different character engaged in melee.






For example, Pike is using a hunting bow to launch an arrow at the Pict fighting his friend, Murray. The GM rolls 1d4. On a roll of 1, Pike must make his attack against his comrade Murray. On a result of 2-4, Pike attacked is aimed at the Pict as the player originally intended.


If there are multiple combatants, simply random roll the target or use logic for the most likely target in line of sight.


If the attacker has the Precise Shot Feat, then ignore this rule.


Also ignore the rule if combatants are at ten feet or more apart, as with Reach weapons.

 

[Water Bob]

-- FATE: The Will of the Gods --






A new use for Fate Points. When a Fate Point is spent, The Will of the Gods is called upon and the character is imbued with the strength and willpower to go the distance, take the punishment that life can give out, and persevere against damage that normally might kill him.


Mechanically, the character is granted temporary hit points equal to: Hit Die + Constitution Bonus.


If the character has the Toughness Feat, then the character also gains an additional +1 hit point.


The points are considered Temporary Hit Points, subject to the rule on page 192 of the 2E Core Rulebook.


The character can spend the Fate point to invoke The Will of the Gods as a preventative measure, if desired, adding the temporary hit points to his current total, even going above his normal maximum HP total.


The effect will last through the combat situation. As the combat comes to a close, the character's adrenaline and sharp combat awareness drops back to normal, and the temporary hit points gained are lost.


The character can also use The Will of the Gods to save his life, spending the Fate point after taking damage that drops him to 0 or negative hit points. The Fate point can only be spent on the character's turn, so if a character suffers damage that knocks him to, say, -3 HP, the character does indeed go down, knocked prone. When the character's turn next comes up (usually, but not always, immediately after taking the damage) in initiative order, the Fate point can be spent and the point applied. Note that this will not always keep the character from dying. For example, if a character is damaged to -6 HP, and The Will of the Gods is invoked, the character rolls his Hit Die, adds his CON modifier (and another +1 if he has the Toughness Feat), getting a total of 4. This means that the character is still dying at -2 HP. If the fates are really with the character, the player will roll high enough to return the character to 1 HP or higher.


Multi-classed characters can use their largest Hit Die when rolling for The Will of the Gods.


Characters who take damage so that their hit point total reach the negatives and then are returned to 1 HP or greater begin the combat round prone (and possibly with previous weapons dropped). Consider that the character got the wind knocked out of him.


The Will of the Gods can be combined with other temporary hit points, such as that gained from the Barbarian's Crimson Mist ability or the Fighting Madness Feat.










Alternative: Should you think the rule a tad liberal, consider allowing the use of The Will of the Gods only when a character has 1 HP or greater. This way, a player must try to anticipate needing the temporary hit points, and the use of the Fate Point will not save the character who has been downed, dying in the negative hit point range.




2nd Alternative: Since we are dealing with Fate points, a scarce character resource that is meant to represent luck, fortuitous circumstance, and the gods smiling down on the character, consider using the rule as outlined originally but allow the character to spend the Fate point as soon as damage is incurred. This immediate use of a Fate Point is not unlike the detail of the Parry or Dodge use described on page 75 of the 2E Core Rulebook. In this instance, using the Fate point as damage is taken will result as if the character had the hit points before damage was taken. Which means: if the character remains at 1 HP or greater, he does not go down and start the round prone. The damage is taken. The Fate Point is spent. Temporary Hit Points are rolled and then applied to the character, and the combat round goes on.


I use this 2nd alternative in my game. I enjoy Fate points being powerful, but I'm also very stingy in awarding them in a game. My players earn their Fate points. I don't give them away cheaply.

 

[Water Bob]

-- STARTING HIT POINTS --


The Conan RPG is a dangerous, gritty game, and as with any rpg based on the d20 system, it can be quite hazardous for 1st level characters. This variant rule is for the gamblers among your players.

The rules for starting hit points, as written in the 2E Core Rulebook, are that a character gains maximum points for that first hit die, plus or minus the character's Constitution modifier, and plus 1 point if the character begins the game with the Toughness feat.

What ends up happening, using the core rules, is that every character of the same class with the same CON score has the same number of hit points. There's no accounting for individuality.

This method of determining starting hit points is risky, but if a player is lucky, he could end up with a lot of hit points at 1st level. The risk is that the character could end up with fewer hit points than he would have if the core rule was used. I would never force this method on a player, but I would offer to him as a choice. The player can be safe and take the good, solid number of hit points that is provided in the Core Rulebook. Or, he can use this method, randomly rolling the dice, hoping to score more than the Core rules allow.



Variant Rule: Starting Hit Points

2 HD + CON Mod + Toughness

The players rolls 2 HD and adds them together. Then, he adds in the CON modifier (and another +1 if the character has the Toughness Feat). Thus, a 1st level Thief (d8 HD) with a CON 15 (+2 modifier) would have starting hit points equal to: 2d8 + 2. This character doesn't have the Toughness Feat, so his range of starting hit points will be 4-18.

The Pros of this system is that a character will average 1 point higher than the Core system. For example, 2d8 averages 9 points, which is 1 point higher than the 8 points a character would normally get . And, there is a chance that a character's starting hit points will be much higher than what is allowed for in the Core rules. This example character could start with 18 hit points instead of 10. That's almost double.

The Con is, of course, that there is also a chance that the character will start with lower HP than what is called for in the Core rules. If the character rolls two ones, then the example character starts with only 4 HP, which is 6 HP less than he would have with the Core rule.

Now, rolling is slightly in the character's favor for a few reasons. First, rolling two dice skews the probability of the result to the middle of the distribution. It's most likely, rolling 2d8, that 9 will result. And, it's more likely that 8 will result than it is 7, and so on. (And, 9 is more likely than 10. 10 is more likely than 11, and so on.) The most likely result will always be 1 point higher than what the character gets in the Core rules.

Also, by rolling, a character has more to gain than lose. If the example character rolls the lowest roll, then he is only 6 hit points shy of what he would have had using the Core rules. If he rolls average on the two dice throw, then he will have 1 point more than he would have had than with the Core rules. And, if he rolls the maximum on both dice (just as unlikely as rolling ones on both dice), the example character will end up with almost twice the number of hit points he gets using the Core system. He gets 18 against the 10 he gets with Core.



So...you may want to offer this method to your players. Don't force them to use this method, but allow the gamblers the chance at a lot more starting hit points at the risk of ending up with fewer than the Core Rulebook mandates.







FATE?

Technically, Fate points should not be spent on a character's hit points, whether we're talking about starting hit points or those gained when the character levels. But, this game is about heroes. One thing a GM could do is devise a new use for Fate Points to where the player can use them when a character levels. It would be version of the Reroll rule listed on page 75 of the Core Rulebook (although that rule is specific in that it is used for attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws only).

Using this new use for Fate Points, a player could re-roll any starting hit point die or any hit die the character receives when he levels. If you use such a rule in your game, I suggest that you keep with the spirit of the Reroll rule in that a player can reroll but he is bound by the new result, even if it is lower than what was originally rolled.





ANOTHER VARIANT

Another variant rule that you can use is to allow the player to roll for hit points as I have discussed at the top of this post, but allow the player to re-roll any die that is lower than, or equal to, the character's CON modifier.

For example, using our same example character of a 1st level Thief with CON 15 (+2 modifier), the player would roll 2d8 +2 for starting hit points. But, he could re-roll, once, any die that resulted in a 1 or a 2. If a character has CON 18, then he re-rolls any result that is 4 or less.

Now, the character is bound by the re-roll, if the re-roll is made. So, yes, there is a chance that the character will end up with a lower number of hit points than he had on the first roll. For example, a 1st level Thief with CON 18 throws starting hit points. On his 2d8 throw, he gets 1 and 4. Since both are below 4, the player can re-throw either or both of the dice, but the player is bound by the new throw. Obviously, he would re-throw the 1 die, but re-rolling the 4 die is risky. Still, that choice is up to the player.

This isn't a bad way to go. It rewards high CON characters. The Conan game is deadly. Most weapons do more damage then their D&D counterparts, and any single attack that does 20 or more points of damage forces the character to save or die (due to the Massive Damage rule). Add to this the lack of magical healing in a Conan game, and the argument for greater starting hit points gets stronger.

Remember, too, starting the game with more hit points--even double--can be a great help to a 1st level character, but soon, as the character levels, those extra hit points will not mean much. In no way does using this Variant rules (or any of these optional starting hit point rules) unbalance the game. Using these rule likely will only help keep favored characters alive at the lower levels.

And, if a GM uses this rule in his game, he may consider also using it for key NPCs.

Note that this Variant is most likely to give the character higher hit points than that of the Core rule, and this rule will ensure that not all 1st level characters of like class and same CON score will have exactly the same number of hit points. Individuality is thrown back into the mix without a great threat that the character will end up with less points than had he gone with Core.

This second Variant is what I'm using in my game. I give my players a choice. They can use this Variant rule, or they can use the Core rule.







EXAMPLE USING 2ND VARIANT.

This example uses the 2nd variant. The example character is one I listed up-thread, the 1st level Argossean Thief, Yuri of Raeze (also known as Yuri The Knife).

As a 1st level Thief, the Core rules give him 8 hit points (d8 Hit Die), and he adds his modifier of +1 for his CON 13. Thus, by the Core rules, Yuri starts the game with 9 HP, as I listed earlier in the thread with the rest of Yuri's stats.

But, let's say that the player wants to gamble using the second Variant above.

The player rolls 2d8, getting 7, 1 (I rolled real dice to get that...and I'm pleased, because the 1 popped up). Now, the player can re-roll any die that is equal to or less than his CON modifier. This character has nothing to lose if the 1 thrown again. But, the character is bound by whatever is thrown on the second time. I throw the die again and get: another 7.

This means that Yuri's starting hit points are 7 + 7 + 1. That's the 2 HD + CON modifier. Yuri ends up with 15 points (instead of 9 as per Core rules).

Will that extra hit points unbalance the game? I don't think so. It will sure go a long ways to keeping Yuri healthy. And, those 6 extra points will mean nothing, practically, as the character levels up, reaching the mid and higher levels.

And, this is why I endorse this system.

 

[Water Bob]

-- VARIANT HIT POINT EXAMPLES with 10 Characters --


Using the second Variant above, I am going to roll real dice and show you the difference in hit points for the various characters that I have listed in this thread.



I. Morghun Clanson, 3rd level Barbarian, CON 8 (-1), 17 HP.

We know that Morghun's 1st level HP was 10 (-1 CON mod cancelled by Toughness Feat), so he rolled an extra 7 HP for levels 2 and 3.

Using the Variant Rule in my game, we would roll: 2d10 -1 +1.

I get: 9, 8. I can't re-roll either die (not that I'd want to) because the character doesn't have a bonus mod for his CON score. So, under the Variant, Morghun would start the game with 17 HP (instead of 10), and gaining those 7 HP for levels 2 and 3, he would have 24 HP at 3rd level.

Of course, I got lucky and rolled well for him, too.





II. Yuri of Raeze, 1st level Thief, CON 13 (+1), 9 HP.

See the example above. I re-roll the 1. Yuri ends up with 15 HP (instead of 9 HP).





III. Renzo, 1st level Thief, CON 10 (+0), 4 HP.

On this character, since he was meant to be an NPC, I rolled his one Hit Die instead of giving him max. Had he got max, as a PC would, by the Core rule, then he would have 8 HP.

Using my variant, I roll 2d8 to get his HP. I can't re-roll anything because of his CON score.

I get: 2, 1. LOL! That shows the risk of rolling, especially if the character doesn't have a CON 13+. This variant system really favors high Constitution. A player using this character would probably opt for the Core rule, but if he hadn't, the character could end up with only 3 HP, as I have shown here.





IV. Kremm, 1st level Commoner, CON 15 (+2), 4 HP.

Again, I rolled for Kremm's HP, one die, because he was an NPC. I reserved the Core rule for player characters.

But, using the Variant rule, I would roll: 2d4 + 2. And, I can re-roll 1's and 2's.

I roll and get: 3, 4. Which means I can't re-roll anything. And, Kremm's starting hit points become: 9 HP.





V. Typical Raeze Townsfolk, 1st level Commoner, CON 12 (+1), 3 HP.

I roll 2d4 +1, but I can re-roll 1's.

What I get: 1, 4. I'll re-roll the 1. That's a no brainer. I get a 3. Hit Points under this Variant system become 8 HP.

Now, since this is to represent a typical townsperson, I probably would not use the Variant rule. I'd probably go with the average 3 or 4 HP as I did originally.





VI. Mablo Riconti, 3rd level Commoner/1st level Scholar, CON 11, 10 HP.

We know that Mablo had 2 or 3 hit points, on average, as a 1st level Commoner. Let's say he had 3 HP. That means he gained 7 HP from his other two levels as a Commoner and the one (d6 HD) as a 1st level Scholar.

Under the Variant, it might go like this: 2d4 + 7. No re-rolls.

I get 3, 3. So, Mablo has 13 HP.





VII. Verrick, 2nd level Soldier/2nd level Borderer, CON 12 (+1), 26 HP.

Back-dating a 4th or higher character with the Variant starting hit point rule can be tricky because you don't know where the +1 point to the character attributes went (that he received at 4th level). If this went to CON, then that could really change things.

But, just to provide an example, we'll say that he didn't place the new stat point into CON. If he didn't, then his 1st level points as a Soldier were 11 HP. Then, the character received another 16 points over the other Soldier level and the two levels as Borderer (also d10 HD).

His Variant hit points would be: 2d10 + 16. I can re-roll any 1's.

I get: 7, 7. No re-throws allowed. His hit points would be: 14 + 16 = 30 HP.





VIII. Rossi, 2nd level Borderer, CON 11, 11 HP.

So, this dude started with max HP at first level, due to the Core rule, then rolled a 1 for his 2nd level hit points.

Under the Variant system, assuming I also roll a 1 for the HP at 2nd level, his HP are: 2d10 + 1. I cannot re-roll dice.

I get: 7, 10. So, in this case, it worked out. The character increases to 18 HP (17 HP at 1st level). But, as I noted above, the Variant system is more risky when the CON score is 12 or lower (because the player cannot re-roll low throws).





IX. Nunzio, 2nd level Soldier, CON 12 (+1), 13 HP.

So, this character would have 11 HP at 1st level, then must have rolled a 1 for 2nd level (plus CON mod), for a total of 13 HP.

Under the Variant system, I roll 2d10 +3 to figure his new points. I can re-roll 1's.

I roll: 4, 9. Can't re-roll anything. So, hit points are: 4 + 9 + 3 = 16 HP.





X. Arno Rizz, 1st level Thief, CON 16 (+3), 11 HP.

I rolled up this character as a "spare" PC that I can whip out quick in a game if a new player shows up or a PC gets killed and needs something to play before we can roll him up another character.

The Variant system would be: 2d8 +3, and I can re-roll any die that is 3 or less.

I roll: 3, 1. Hmm. I'm definitely going to re-roll that 1. So here goes...I get a: 3. And, I'm stuck with the re-roll. So, I keep that 3.

My decision to re-roll the first 3 I rolled is a hard one. Right now, I've got less HP than if I had gone with Core. If I stop here, Arno will have 9 HP. I think I'll test my luck and see what I get by re-rolling that first die. I get: 7.

So, my total is: 3 + 7 + 3. I end up picking up a few points with 13 HP.

But, it was hairy there. I could have easily ended up with less than what Core provides--even with a high CON score. That's the risk you take. It's likely that your score will be higher, but not guaranteed.

 

[Water Bob]

Playtest Pack Launches!
Major New Artists Join Team!

We've signed more major artists whose work has appeared in Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and many more including legendary Conan and Red Sonja artist Esteban Maroto (Conan Ace paperback illustrations, Savage Sword of Conan, Red Sonja, Eerie, Creepy and Vampirella) along with the spectacular Tom Grindberg, who is currently illustrating the Tarzan Sunday comic strip alongside Roy Thomas (Conan, Savage Sword of Conan, Conan Saga, Judge Dredd, ERB's Back to the Stone Age); and Jose Villarrubia, one of the top colorists in the business (various Dark Horse Conan titles including the award-winning King Conan, Alan Moore's Promethea, Dynamite's Red Sonja, and many more)

You can now help playtest the game!

You can download the Alpha Playtest Pack v1-0. This features an extensive introductory adventure by Lou Agresta and Scott Oden. You will find an introductory playtest ruleset, the adventure and a rough map to get you going. The purpose of this is simply for you to test the basic rules, get to grips with fighting, moving, skill tests and so on.

You can discuss this playtest pack, post comments and queries in the forum.

In 2-3 weeks we'll be sending a feedback survey for you to give us specific responses and an updated playtest pack.

Remember to tell friends who want to be part of the playtest, or to be first to hear the news to sign up at http://www.modiphius.com/conan.html

Thanks!

Chris, Modiphius
www.modiphius.com

 

[Water Bob]

-- SHAIPUR MONKS and the SUNLESS CITADEL --


As I work on the conversion of the D&D adventure, The Sunless Citadel (which I am chronicling in this thread), I've got a thought. The Shaipur Monks from the 2011 Conan The Barbarian movie carried spears with Asian-looking dragons on them. And, the Sunless Citadel, at one time, stood as a bastion for a D&D dragon cult.

Hmm...me-thinks I've got something cool to work with here.

I'm going to have to make a connection for my game, especially since I have already located the Sunless Citadel in the Shaipur Ravine before I discovered the monk's spears!

Serendipity!

Notice that the dragons have an Eastern flair to them. Khitai. And, that makes sense, since Conan dropped off Tamara in Hyrkania at the, what I'm guessing is, the main Shaipur Monastery.

So...these Shaipur Monks....? They must have monasteries in key locations throughout the Hyborian (and non-hyborian) kingdoms.

 

[Water Bob]

-- Wine in Shem --



I'm reading a Conan novel by Leonard Carpenter called CONAN THE OUTCAST. It is set in a couple of city states in Shem, and some specific types of wine is mentioned.

So, for roleplaying game flavor, there is....

Zamboulan date wine, obviously from the free city of Zamboula, in the Great Desert, setting for Robert E. Howard's story, Shadows in Zamboula (also titled The Man-Eaters of Zamboula).

Turanian arrak, which is a wine-type drink made from fermented goat milk, obviously popular among the peoples and tribesmen of Turan (a setting for many Conan tales in comics and prose).

Samaran narcinthe, an aromatic wine from the Shemitish city of Samara, setting for Andrew Offutt's tale, Conan The Sword of Skelos.

 

[Water Bob]

-- Two Shemite City States --



Two City States in Shem are described in Leonard Carpenter's book, CONAN THE OUTCAST.



Sark (The Free City of Sark)

Ruled by King Anaximander

Patron City of the god, Votantha.

His Exalted Priest Khumanos







Qjara

Ruled by King Semiarchos

Queen Regula

Their daughter, Princess Afrianda

Temple Champion Zaius

Patron City of the goddess, Saditha, The One True Goddess

 

[Water Bob]

-- LIVING SKILL POINTS --



One of the more fiddly bits of the d20 game system is the concept of skill points. I like what skill points accomplish--that of allowing characters to specialize in certain skills--but the bookkeeping aspect of skill points can be tedious at times. It's no wonder that skill points were dropped in D&D 5E.

Still, skill points represent an excellent way for a player to customize his character.

What I do in my game is try to take the tediousness out of the skill point system. At first level or when a character increases in level, I allow the player to spend as many skill points as he wishes. He can spend all of them, as per the normal rules, if he wishes.

But, in my game, a player can also not spend some of the points. I jot down how many and keep that in my GM's notebook. Anytime, during the game, when the character wants to boost a skill roll, he can take any amount of points out of his character's pool (subject to the game's limit, of course) and spend those on the skill immediately before rolling.

For example, let's say that the 1st level Argossean Thief, Yuri The Knife, has spent all of his skill points except for 10. I keep that information in my GM's notebook. After a few game sessions, there is a point in the adventure where Yuri comes across some foreign writing chiseled in stone on the wall of a cave. A Decipher Script check is needed to read the writing. Up until this point, Yuri has only put 1 skill point into Decipher Script (and the player only did that because it is a Trained Only skill). So, by the rules, this 1st level character can have as many as 3 more skill points placed in the skill (for a total of 4 ranks).

It's a class skill for the Thief, so he doesn't have to double up on his points. The player decides that this is where he wants to put his points, so he does. Then, the check in the game is made.

Once a player decides to spend points, the points are permanent. No changing allowed. This makes for an organic way of spending skill points--spending them where the character actually makes skill checks instead of having predict where the character will need the skill in the future.

The player can spend the points in his pool at any time he wants, between game sessions is fine. For example, during a game sessions, a player's scholar character spends a game day in a fine library, and so, it makes sense to the player that the subject being studied--Knowledge (Geography)--be increased. Fine. Do it.

Or, maybe a PC meets a NPC, and the NPC is master of an intriguing skill. It's OK for the player to say, "I've been following around Shevatas, the master thief, for some time now. I think I should increase my Move Silently and Hide skills."

Basically, you are taking the pressure off of the player to have to spend all the skill points as soon as a character levels. Let the player play the character a while and see what challenges lie ahead--then let the player spend the points as he sees fit within the context of the game.

This sure saves time if you introduce a new PC character in the middle of a game, too.

The only real rule here is: All of a character's skill points must be spent before he levels again. You cannot carry over a balance of skill points from one level to another. In my experience, the skill points are spent long before the character levels, even when we're speaking about a 1st level character.

One other thing to remember: In the Conan RPG, any skill points gained because of high INT score (13+) can be spent on any skill as if it were a class skill (thus, cross-class skills do not cost double when using these points). So, with regard to characters with High INT scores, the GM must keep two skill pools for such characters. One pool for the INT derived points, and another pool for the rest.