D&D General GM's Closet for the CONAN RPG
- Thread starter Water Bob
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CONAN-IZING NOTES
Here's an example of some of the steps I am taking to "Conan-ize" a standard D&D adventure module for my Conan game. I have taken The Sunless Citadel, and I am turning it into a hidden temple to Derketo.
For those of you not familiar the gods of the Hyborian Age, Derketo is the Shemite goddess of seduction and depraved sexuality. Her priestesses act as whores, which is how new blood is brought into the flock. They have a control over their cult members not unlike the Honored Matres from Dune.
In the adventure, there is a quasit. This little outsider might very well fit in the Conan universe as-is, as a small, little demon. But, I'm going to twist it a bit. I'm going to make the quasit appear as a child. When encountered, the PCs will probably think that they are rescuing a captured child from the surrounding area. I'm going to play the child as very quiet and non-responsive with maybe just a slight, knowing smile. I'm hoping the PCs will think the poor kid traumatized from her captivity among the dark priestesses. And, at some opportune point, I will have the kid betray the PCs to their enemies.
Also in the adventure are some NPCs from a previous adventuring party who have become "supplicants" of the Gulthias Tree. The tree, itself, is going to be turned into a large monument to Derketo. And, the supplicants will be something of the same--people who have been completely possessed and corrupted by the "grace" of the dark goddess.
I will describe them as normal humans except their eyes are turned up in their heads. Derketo guides them, and all the PCs will see is, literally, the sick whites of their eyes.
These Derketo "supplicants" feel no pain and are almost puppets guided by Derketo's will. They don't collapse at HP 0. They keep acting until they are hacked to death at HP -10. But, once they hit HP 0 or lowerer, they can only take half an action per combat round. So, by hacking their arms off and delivering lethal blows, the supplicants are slowed, until they finally collapse.
Besides that, though, I'm not really changing the stats for these creatures or even the quasit above. Remember, Conan rarely knows what he fights. You don't have to name these creatures that you make up. Just describe them to the players and keep on trucking.
Here's an example of some of the steps I am taking to "Conan-ize" a standard D&D adventure module for my Conan game. I have taken The Sunless Citadel, and I am turning it into a hidden temple to Derketo.
For those of you not familiar the gods of the Hyborian Age, Derketo is the Shemite goddess of seduction and depraved sexuality. Her priestesses act as whores, which is how new blood is brought into the flock. They have a control over their cult members not unlike the Honored Matres from Dune.
In the adventure, there is a quasit. This little outsider might very well fit in the Conan universe as-is, as a small, little demon. But, I'm going to twist it a bit. I'm going to make the quasit appear as a child. When encountered, the PCs will probably think that they are rescuing a captured child from the surrounding area. I'm going to play the child as very quiet and non-responsive with maybe just a slight, knowing smile. I'm hoping the PCs will think the poor kid traumatized from her captivity among the dark priestesses. And, at some opportune point, I will have the kid betray the PCs to their enemies.
Also in the adventure are some NPCs from a previous adventuring party who have become "supplicants" of the Gulthias Tree. The tree, itself, is going to be turned into a large monument to Derketo. And, the supplicants will be something of the same--people who have been completely possessed and corrupted by the "grace" of the dark goddess.
I will describe them as normal humans except their eyes are turned up in their heads. Derketo guides them, and all the PCs will see is, literally, the sick whites of their eyes.
These Derketo "supplicants" feel no pain and are almost puppets guided by Derketo's will. They don't collapse at HP 0. They keep acting until they are hacked to death at HP -10. But, once they hit HP 0 or lowerer, they can only take half an action per combat round. So, by hacking their arms off and delivering lethal blows, the supplicants are slowed, until they finally collapse.
Besides that, though, I'm not really changing the stats for these creatures or even the quasit above. Remember, Conan rarely knows what he fights. You don't have to name these creatures that you make up. Just describe them to the players and keep on trucking.
WaterBob said:KINGMAKER!
An adventure path for Pathfinder was published some years ago that set the players up in a sandbox wilderness area. The players are free to go anywhere they want. There is no over-all plot or story arc, though there are some interesting stories to discover. The PCs are given a charter to explore the area and eventually settle parts of it.
When I first saw this, I purchased it. I thought it would be an excellent base to use, transplanted to the Pictish Wilderness. The PCs would get their charter from Aquilonia, of course, and the PCs would try to explore and tame the lands of the Picts.
I still haven't converted the adventure path for play during the Hyborian Age, but I mention it here in case you like the idea and want to run with it. There are lots of pics and maps about Kingmaker on the net. There's a free Player's Guide that can be downloaded from Paizo. And, I understand that the adventure path is being turned into a computer roleplaying game.
From a Conan point of view, the players could become Aquilonian barons, granted a section of land annexed by that kingdom, through this adventure. Two books that would be extremely helpful to you are ACROSS THUNDER RIVER, the Conan RPG sourcebook that covers the Aquilonian border and Pictish Frontier, and AQUILONIA - FLOWER OF THE WEST.
Robert E. Howard wrote a few pages centered on Aquilonia in an essay he titled NOTES ON VARIOUS PEOPLES OF THE HYBORIAN AGE. You may be able to find this on the net. I read it in my copy of THE COMPLETE CHRONICLES OF CONAN by Robert E. Howard. It is also included among other published collections of Conan tales.
I was thinking that this would be interesting to implement by having it be where the player characters are charged by Milo, King of Argos, to establish a colony in the Pictish Wilderness.
We are used to Pictland being a struggle between the savage picts and the colonization efforts of Aquilonia. But, what if Milo sent a flotilla up north and established a colony in an inland port? Then, the player characters take over the Kingmaker adventures--all Conan-ized, of course--attempting to explore and colonize part of the Pictish Wilderness not already claimed by Aquilonia.
I bet that could be turned into an excellent campaign.
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