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

[Water Bob]

CONAN THE INVINCIBLE by Robert Jordan

RPG Notes



A good source of Conan material for your roleplaying game are the various novels and short stories (and comics), both those written by Robert E. Howard and those that are not.

Here are some notes from Chapter One of Robert Jordan's book, Conan The Invincible. You can see how a GM can take these notes and run with them, creating characters and situations for discovery by the players.

A GM can use these notes as a starting point. Or, the GM can continue with the note-taking, making an adventure faithful to the source material.



CLICK HERE TO SEE THE COVER PAINTING FOR THE NOVEL, WITHOUT WORDS.

It shows a great picture of Morath-Aminee.



THE DARK BASTION

Built into the steep rock of the Kezankian Mountains. Its dark corridors of stone chiseled with serpentine shapes leads into the heart of the mountain. Tall doors open into a column circled room with mosaic floor—a serpent surrounded by what looks like rays of the sun. Captives bound and gagged near the walls.

There is an altar: a block of red-streaked black marble. The trough around the rim of the marble pours into a large, golden bowl.

Amanar chants, and red and golden mists form behind the altar, billowing and flowing like fire. Now, there is space there--where there was only wall before--behind the mist—deep space. Looking at it is like looking into the deep black of the Abyss. Roll Fear of the Unknown Check? Describe this to make the hair on the players' arm stand up.

“Morath-Aminee, O Eater of Souls, whose third name is death to hear, death to say, death to know, thy servant Amanar brings these offerings to thy sacrifice.”

Morath-Aminee: Not quite serpentine or lizard. Golden scales. A halo of tentacles. See the book cover. Long body with head. Snake tongue. Teeth. Eyes dance like red flames.

Amanar slits the man’s throat with a golden dagger. Sitha hands it to him.

The tentacles from the demon strike at the blood to drink, but they avoid Amanar and his amulet.

“Eat, O Morath-Aminee.”

The demon also sucks the soul of the sacrifice. The sacrifice realizes that he is not dying even though his life's blood is draining from his neck. He cannot speak with his throat slit, but his eyes tell the tale. He's losing something more than ust his life.





HILLMEN

Who live in the Kezankians. The give the Bastion a wide berth. They even make the Sign of the Horns to ward off evil even at the mention of the place.



AMANAR

A Necromancer. He's darkly handsome and has a close, cropped black beard. Short hair with a white, serpentine streak. Red flecks in his eyes.

He wears a black robe with gold embroidered serpents that tie the robe a the waist. They swing up the back, entwining, over his shoulder to rest on his chest. Jewels for eyes.

Amanar’s Amulet: A golden serpent in the clutches of a silver hawk. This protects him.

Background: Amanar studied at the feet of the Black Ring mages in Khemi, Stygia. He read the dreaded Book of Typhon. It is said that no human mind can comprehend the terrible knowledge contained in the book, or even learn a single word of it without madness and death.

Amanar read a single page. Even this sent him running out of the city into the desert like a howling madman.

He cannot die because of what he read. But, he was mad, living in hell, ever wrestling with the evil knowledge that he had learned. He came upon the ruins of Pteion the Accursed and found there, bound for rebellion against Set, Morath-Aminee. He released the god-demon, bound it to his will, and protected himself with the amulet.

Sorcerery: To keep body parts, like hearts, fresh. On a golden plate.

No mortal weapon will harm him until his soul is taken from him. If you cut him, he does not bleed.



S’TARRA - AMANAR’S HENCHMEN

Description: Look like ordinary men from a distance. But, their faces are slightly pointed. Red flecks in eyes. Skin shows reptilian scales. Elongated hands have claws.

Armor: Ridged helm. Ring Mail.

Weapons: Spear. Tulwar on hip.

They eat fresh meat. They eat humans.



WARDEN SITHA

S’Tarra commander of Amanar’s Henchmen.

Thick, muscled arms.

Weapons: No Tulwar. Great, doubled edged-axe.

 

[Water Bob]

 

[Water Bob]

Random Sword & Sorcery Tables


TABLE I

1 curved dagger
2 Dao-Khee
3 caravan or caravanserai
4 jewelry or gem
5 pirate ship
6 corrupt advisor
7 sewer tunnel
8 temple guardian
9 feat of desperate strength
10 cursed artifact or weapon
11 burglary or kidnapping
12 treachery or betrayal
13 naked female captive
14 perverted aristocrat
15 Amoth
16 sorcerous trap
17 drunken orgy
18 ancient law that demands a life be taken
19 blood-red
20 gladiatorial pit
21 mad magician or ancient mummy
22 old god from the stars
23 Pathar
24 maze of city streets
25 barren wildlands
26 savage or neanderthal
27 girdle of silk
28 elaborate human sacrifce
29 double-crossing
30 smuggler
31 peacock feathers or ostrich plumes
32 ancient chariot
33 spider or spiderweb
34 escape under of cover of night
35 well-guarded fortress
36 oath or exclamation
37 human vice or addiction
38 living for the day
39 port
40 concubine or temptress
41 black
42 dungeon
43 high priest
44 pyramid or ziggurat
45 forbidden tower
46 local guide
47 chance meeting
48 chieftain or prince
49 ghoul
50 pantherish grace
51 poisoned weapon or drink
52 cannibal or head-hunter
53 tent city
54 masked nomad
55 winged demon
56 slaver or kidnapper
57 arrogant noble
58 tyrannical government
59 wealthy merchant
60 secret society or hidden complex
61 carnivorous ape
62 king of thieves
63 slave
64 yellow
65 grinning bronze or ivory idol
66 inhuman skull
67 Zhuul
68 lotus-flower
69 two-handed sword
70 fist-sized gem
71 blue and gold tapestry
72 prison
73 ambush
74 sleeping giant snake
75 Ykhanthra
76 duel
77 eunuch
78 marketplace or bazaar
79 incense-burner
80 voluptous princess
81 raiders or brigands
82 steaming jungle
83 forgotten tomb
84 shipwreck
85 scroll or book
86 battle or battlefield
87 were-beast, she-wolf or half-human hybrid
88 strange stone or metal
89 pygmy or dwarf
90 wine or drunkenness
91 cult or secret organization
92 revenge or blood feud
93 heresy or persecution
94 murder or slaying
95 mystic from the East
96 perverted or degenerate entertainment
97 Urkhab
98 T’ntaa
99 cold iron
100 lost or degenerate civilization



TABLE II
1 oath or honor
2 blood
3 mammoth or elephant tusks
4 legend or lie
5 dying or inherited curse
6 betrayal or deception
7 temple prostitute or temple virgin
8 plague
9 servitude or captivity
10 banishment or exile
11 king of kings
12 desert or wasteland
13 corruption
14 dragon or giant reptile from a lost age
15 moon or moonlight
16 tentacled monstrosity
17 arcane or sacred ritual
18 snake-people
19 heir or chosen one
20 childbirth

 

[Water Bob]

Player's Guide to Xoth






This could be useful to a Conan campaign. It's a Pathfinder based Player's Guide to the private gaming world of Xoth, which is the sword & sorcery campaign of Morten Braten (a.k.a. Thulsa).


CLICK HERE FOR PDF.

Venture in the footsteps of Conan the Cimmerian, Satampra Zeiros of Uzuldaroum, Imaro of Nyumbani, and other fabled thieves, reavers and slayers!


Enter the City of Stone and slay the high priest of Jul-Juggah! Plunder the ancient gold of Namthu! Seek the fabled jewel of Khadim Bey, but beware the nameless horrors of the Al-Khazi desert!


Fight the dread adepts of the ape-god, or succumb to the pleasures of the Moon-Juice of Yaatana! Or perhaps you will perish by the curses of Ur-Kharra, the long-dead sorcerer-king of Elder Kuth?

One section of this Player's Guide that I find useful is the three page description that defines Sword & Sorcery game (as opposed to typical high fantasy gaming).


-- Out With Alignment


-- Monsters are Monstrous


-- Magic is Mysterious


-- Combat is Deadly


-- Wounds Heal Quickly


-- Treasure Should Be Spent


-- The Tale is its Own Reward

 

[Water Bob]

THE COST OF TRAINING/LEARNING/ADVANCING



Way back when, when I ran my long-term campaigns playing AD&D and AD&D 2E, one of the rules I used was that character level advancement usually (not always) required some sort of mentor/teacher/trainer. This could be some grizzled old war veteran who could teach a new move, or this could be some long, lost grimoire that revealed new spells and new secrets about the true nature of the universe. Sometimes, it was an angel/avatar/servant of some god sent to the faithful to guide them along their spiritual path.

The one thing all these methods of learning had in common was that they cost money. They took up tie and resources.

I note that the Xoth Player's Guide above suggests stiff payment for training. That book suggests this as a method for keeping the PCs low in coin, in the true Sword & Sorcery style.



For a Conan campaign, I suggest that the GM consider training as an option but not to assign any hard and fast rules to them. It is clear, at least to me, that Conan improved by himself through his many careers. There was no master thief that mentored him Shadizar, but Conan probably learned the use of the bow from someone during his journeys.

I suggest, from time to time, use trainers, mentors, and teachers in your game--but don't require it for every level advancement. If a player wants is character to have a specific Feat, then maybe a teacher is required for that one feat. Or, maybe a Nomad classed character wants to multi-class into a Pirate. Obviously, that's a strange combination, and the GM is within his rights to require the character to spend some time at sea among pirates. Maybe, in your campaign, the players become slave gladiators, or maybe northern pit fighters, or maybe soldiers in some mad king's army. The GM can skip time, advancing the campaign's timeline a year or two (or even play out the PCs time as a mercenary), allowing this to open up the Soldier class as a multi-classing option.

Books can be found that will help characters learn a new language. An old, one-eyed thief can be employed to teach a character how to pick locks.

What I'm suggesting here is to not just allow character to improve by themselves all the time. That should be the norm, but use common sense. If a player wants to pick up the Herbalism skill, but doesn't have a background that fits the character knowing that skill, then the GM should step in and require a teacher. Maybe the GM can even make an adventure out of it.

And, as suggested by the Xoth Player's Guide, learning new things can be very expensive--depending on how the learning is applied or how much a teacher requires in compensation.

No rules. Keep it organic and part of the story.

 

[Water Bob]

LEVEL ADVANCEMENT


When a character advances a level, I award them their new hit points and bonuses due to that level. My thought is that the character has earned that through the acquisition of experience points.

What I don't do is allow new Feats and skills to magically improve the character. The character is eligible for a new Feat, now that he has attained the level, but the character may not have learned enough for the Feat to take effect. If the Feat is a combat feat, and the character has done a lot of fighting over the time of his previous level, then I automatically make that Feat available to him. But, if the character wants a Feat, like Improved Unarmed Strike, and I can't remember the last time the character attempted an unarmed strike, then the character needs to train.

For skills, I do the same. I just use common sense. If a character never climbs but wants to put some new points into his Climb skill, then he needs to start practicing.

Once players get the hang of this, they'll start practicing skills or finding trainers before they advance in level. Otherwise, they'll have to practice and/or find a trainer during their current level.

If a character wants to multiclass into a class where he has no experience, then the character has to do the same. A Scholar classed character cannot multi-class into a Soldier class without at least practicing weapons, getting used to wearing armor, etc. And, this usually requires a trainer to show the character how to fight. Again, if the player thinks of multiclassing his Scholar into a Scholar/Soldier at level 4, then at level 3, the player needs to have his character seek out training.



What About A Roll?

I typically just use common sense about Self Improvement, but if you want a roll, then pick the most appropriate character attribute and roll that or less on a d20. Success means that the character advances. Failure means that the character needs training before advancement is possible.

This works especially well with skills. Let's say that a Nomad character levels up and wants to use some of his new points to improve his Survival skill. That's a no-brainer for me. Survival is a Nomad class skill. I'd allow the improvement automatically. No training needed.

But, let's say that same Nomad wants to start a brand new skill--a skill he hasn't improved before--like Craft (Swordsmith). Mundane skills like these are Nomad class skills as well, but this Nomad has never improved the skill. He doesn't know much beyond what his innate knowledge gives him from his INT score.

In this case, I would probably require the Nomad to gain training from a smith. But, let's say that the Nomad's background was that he spent time among the Meadow Shemites, and the player says that there's at least a chance that he picked up some knowledge from a smith in one of those City-States.

In this instance, I might let the dice decide. Besides, dicing is fun! Craft (Swordsmith) is governed by INT. So, just throw a d20, looking for the Nomad's INT or less. If the roll is successful, then no training is required. The Nomad has the required background knowledge. If the roll fails, then training is required before any skill points can be applied to that skill for that character.

 

[Water Bob]

LEVEL ADVANCEMENT


When a character advances a level, I award them their new hit points and bonuses due to that level. My thought is that the character has earned that through the acquisition of experience points.

What I don't do is allow new Feats and skills to magically improve the character. The character is eligible for a new Feat, now that he has attained the level, but the character may not have learned enough for the Feat to take effect. If the Feat is a combat feat, and the character has done a lot of fighting over the time of his previous level, then I automatically make that Feat available to him. But, if the character wants a Feat, like Improved Unarmed Strike, and I can't remember the last time the character attempted an unarmed strike, then the character needs to train.

For skills, I do the same. I just use common sense. If a character never climbs but wants to put some new points into his Climb skill, then he needs to start practicing.

Once players get the hang of this, they'll start practicing skills or finding trainers before they advance in level. Otherwise, they'll have to practice and/or find a trainer during their current level.

If a character wants to multiclass into a class where he has no experience, then the character has to do the same. A Scholar classed character cannot multi-class into a Soldier class without at least practicing weapons, getting used to wearing armor, etc. And, this usually requires a trainer to show the character how to fight. Again, if the player thinks of multiclassing his Scholar into a Scholar/Soldier at level 4, then at level 3, the player needs to have his character seek out training.



What About A Roll?

I typically just use common sense about Self Improvement, but if you want a roll, then pick the most appropriate character attribute and roll that or less on a d20. Success means that the character advances. Failure means that the character needs training before advancement is possible.

This works especially well with skills. Let's say that a Nomad character levels up and wants to use some of his new points to improve his Survival skill. That's a no-brainer for me. Survival is a Nomad class skill. I'd allow the improvement automatically. No training needed.

But, let's say that same Nomad wants to start a brand new skill--a skill he hasn't improved before--like Craft (Swordsmith). Mundane skills like these are Nomad class skills as well, but this Nomad has never improved the skill. He doesn't know much beyond what his innate knowledge gives him from his INT score.

In this case, I would probably require the Nomad to gain training from a smith. But, let's say that the Nomad's background was that he spent time among the Meadow Shemites, and the player says that there's at least a chance that he picked up some knowledge from a smith in one of those City-States.

In this instance, I might let the dice decide. Besides, dicing is fun! Craft (Swordsmith) is governed by INT. So, just throw a d20, looking for the Nomad's INT or less. If the roll is successful, then no training is required. The Nomad has the required background knowledge. If the roll fails, then training is required before any skill points can be applied to that skill for that character.

 

[Water Bob]

Reading? Writing?



Here's a simple and easy to use rule in your game for character literacy.

First off, note that the NPC class for Commoners default to illiterate. If a Commoner classed character can read and write, it costs them 2 skill points.

In the game, all PCs are considered to be literate. I suggest giving each PC an extra 2 skill points that can only be put toward the Decipher Script skill. If this is a cross-class skill for the character, then the 2 points will net the character 1 rank in the skill, which is enough to consider the character as "trained". If the skill is a class skill, then the character starts the game with a bonus +2 ranks in that skill, which is appropriate for Scholars and Thieves, the only two classes that have Decipher Script as a class skill.


THE READING CHECK:

When a character needs to read something written in a language the he knows (the language is checked off on his character sheet as a known language), simply use the Decipher Script rules as written in the skills chapter--except use a DC 15. The character's skill roll indicates how well he reads.

The GM will use this same procedure for characters attempting to read something the character has written, except that the GM may want to modify the difficulty in reading the character's scribbling depending on the character's command of the language.



KNOWN LANGUAGES

The rules in the game are fairly liberal as to the number of languages known by a character. I suggest that you also consider the character's background when allowing starting languages. A Cimmerian from an isolated valley in Cimmeria might only know the Cimmerian language. So, even though the rules allow for a character to have several starting languages, it might be appropriate for the character to start the game only knowing the one language.

Note that some Conan fans say that there is no written Cimmerian language. It is a spoken-only form of communication. If this is the way it is in your game, then consider holding off on awarding the character bonus 2 skill points to Decipher Script. Once the character starts adventuring and learns another language that can be written (maybe using a trainer), then give the character the bonus skill points. You may even want to hold off awarding the bonus points until the character spends a skill point or two on Decipher Script.

The languages a character knows should be supported by his background. There is no need to give every character the maximum number of languages possible. Instead, use common sense and allow characters to know languages that grow organically from the character's previous adventures. Of course, the same goes for NPCs.

 

[Water Bob]

Delete This.

 

[Water Bob]

Fantastic Spell: WARD BY WILL


You'll find this spell on page 242 of the core rulebook. It requires 7 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana), so your character will have to be at least 3rd level to throw the spell (unless the character picks up some bonus ranks, which is possible, and which means the character might be able to throw this spell at a lower level). The character also needs to know the Warding spell from page 238.

You can throw this spell quickly--in the blink of an eye. Ward By Will requires a verbal component, and the casting time is a Free Action.

For the verbal component, come up with something that the player can say very quickly. Maybe a quick, magical phrase: "Vistari!" It is said every time the character invokes the spell.

Or, an even better idea is to come up with something that feeds into the roleplaying of the character. For example, a Stygian sorcerer may say something like, "Scales of Set!" A priest of Mitra may say use the verbal component of, "Mitra protects! Mitra shield me!" Or, "Power of Mitra!"

Either come up with something interesting that your player can remember and use every time he uses this spell, or, have your player get creative and come up with something.



The spell is awesome. For every power point spent, the warding the spell provides is 2 Damage Reduction. If the character spends 2 power points, then the character benefits from DR 4 for that combat round.

The DR is only against physical blows, and armor piercing works normally.



The beauty of this spell lies in the Sorcery Law of Success (from page 229). Whenever the spell works as intended, casting it again the following the round only costs half the PP cost, rounded down, to a minimum of one.

So, let's say that you are a 3rd level Scholar with WIS 16 and 8 Power Points. You cast this spell when someone attacks you with a sword, and you spend 4 PPs to get DR 8.

If your foes hits you, and you benefit from the DR 8, then the spell as worked as intended, and you can use the same spell again the next round at half the cost.

So, round two, you spend 2 more points (you've spent 6 of your total of 8), and you still get DR 8.

Again, if the spell works as intended, on round three, you can spend 1 PP to get DR 8.

And, on round four, you can spend your last PP to get another round of DR 8.





Unless you have a sorcerer in the character party, I suggest that you keep the rules for sorcery in the game secret. Keep the players as clueless about how magic works as their characters should be.

If you do this, you can get a side benefit: By round two or three, your attacker may think that you can have DR 8 indefinitely. You can play it up, too, by having the sorcerer character say something in combat, like (after a strike or two where the DR 8 has been used), "You can't harm me, mortal! Swing until your arms tire, it matters not!"

Sorcerers use their minds as well as any other asset they have at their disposal. Screwing with the minds of their enemies is definitely a tool used when possible!