Conan and Cthulhu

[Thoth Aw C'mon]

BTW, cute Avatar.

Geez, am I embarrassed! I browsed thru my PC and found that one, and it looked suitably "Stygiany" so I chose it.

Hee hee. Oh well, live and learn. :?

 

[Trodax]

Geez, am I embarrassed! I browsed thru my PC and found that one, and it looked suitably "Stygiany" so I chose it.

Hee hee. Oh well, live and learn. :?

Love the rat-thing you've got going now. Its much cooler than mine.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

I like the idea of infusing more HPL's Cthulu mythos into the the world of Conan.

Got to be careful with that though. After two adventures with CoC influnence I could sense from the players it was time to shift gears and go back to the smaller scale for a while. Y'know corrupt nobles, pirates, common variety sorcerers and the occasional brother/sister in arms that makes Conan work. After a while I'll part the veil and show them horrors beyond understanding again, but not yet. After all, as the best authors show us, it best to lull your audience back to a relaxed state before shocking them again. It's more effective that way. :twisted:

Raven

 

[Thoth Aw C'mon]

Love the rat-thing you've got going now. Its much cooler than mine.

Thanks Trodax, nice of you to say... Yeah, this one will do...'Till I find a better one... :wink:

I like the idea of infusing more HPL's Cthulu mythos into the the world of Conan.

Got to be careful with that though. After two adventures with Call influnence I could sense from the players it was time to shift gears and go back to the smaller scale for a while. Y'know corrupt nobles, pirates, common variety sorcerers and the occasional brother/sister in arms that makes Conan work. After a while I'll poart the veil again and show them horrors beyond understanding again, but not yet. After all, as the best authors show us, it best to lull your audience back to a relaxed state before shocking them again. It's more effective that way. :twisted:

Raven

Good point. It can be overdone, I think. Adding the Cthulu mythos into your Conan games as you described makes sense.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Oddly enough, if you want an example of the best mix of horror and fantasy, turn to The Lord of the Rings. [The books, not the film which jettisoned Tolkien after the first movie (active flame-proof shielding)] As one scholar put it, it has a 'wave' like rhythm to it. The story starts with a gentle rhythm like an idealized fantasy, desends by building tension with the introduction of horrific elements [Ringwraiths, the Balrog, orcs, etc.] then abruptly brings to a conflict. [Hobbits about to found by a Ringwraith, Balrog and Gandalf standoff] and then resolves it and slowly ascends to a gentler rhythm [Ringwraith suddenly frightened away by the presence of Galdor and his wood elves, Gandalf Final Strikes Balrog ] for a while. Then the characters find themselves in a pleasant place [Tom and Goldberry's house, Rivendell] only to leave it for danger or have danger assail it, starting the whole process over.

By lulling your players back to a sense of security this way, you 'reset' their ability to be frightened- making the next horrific incursion horrible again by comparison. This is why I 'lighten' my version of Hyboria a bit. Not out of a sense of kindness, but so that there is a greater contrast between security and fear- and to have things in Hyboria worth protecting. Granted an allied Pict tribe or the temple of Bel isn't Rivendell [thank goodness] but allies and friends are worth their weight in gold in Hyboria. After, they are the only thing I find worthwhile in this world.

Raven, cruel and kind

 

[Sir Hackalot]

The aforementioned game involving Deep Ones, an Ancient Horror and a mad sorcerer [with the recent addition of ghostly pirates and a wereshark] set on a deserted island has been a roaring success. I currently have the party trapped in an air pocket amid the submerged wreck of an old ship, exhausted wounded and besieged by Deep Ones boiling out of the water. [The Deep Ones have already previously begun the process of trying to Corrupt the players as they did the sorcerer]

For anyone interested in using Deep Ones in Conan, here’s the statistics I coobled up:

Deep Ones
Medium sized humanoids

Hit dice: 2d10+2 (12 hp)
Initiative: +3 [+ 1 natural; +1 Ref; +1 Dex]
Move: 25 ft Swim 30 ft.
DV: 12 [+1 natural; +1 Dex]
DR: 2 [Scales]
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Claw +4 melee [1d6+2; x2 critical] or Hunting Spear +4 melee [1d8+2; x2 critical]
Full Attack: 2 Claws +4 melee [1d6+2; x2 critical each]
Special Attacks: Terror
Special Qualities: Amphibious; Low Light Vision [60 feet]; Scent
Saves: Fort +3; Ref +1; Will +4 (1)
Abilities: Str 14; Dex 11; Con 13; Int 10; Wis 12; Cha 8
Skills: Bluff +3; Climb + 4; Craft (jeweler or goldsmith) +2; Hide +3; Intimidate +4; Knowledge (arcana) +2; Knowledge (sea) +4; Listen +2; Spot +2; Survival +2; Swim +10
Feats: Endurance; Jaded; No Honour
Corruption: At least 4
Climate/Terrain: Ocean or coastal
Organization: Pair (2); Hunting Party (6-10 plus leader); Colony (40- 100 plus leaders) or Great Underwater City (thousands upon thousands with many, many leaders)
Advancement: Usually as barbarian or scholar

Equipment: usually none or a hunting spear.

Amphibious: Deep Ones can breathe water and operate without penalty in air or water- though they greatly prefer dwelling in water. They are capable of surviving the cold and intense pressures found in the great depths of the ocean as well.

Terror: Although not technically supernatural, Deep Ones’s alien nature is so repulsive to surface dwellers that they produce Terror of the Unknown effects as if they were supernatural creatures.

Skills: Deep Ones have a +8 bonus to Swim checks and may Take 10 on a Swim check at any time. They also gain +4 bonus to Survival in aquatic environments.

(1) Includes No Honour Feat

Deep Ones are a race elder than humanity that dwell in great underwater cities on the ocean floor. In service to the ‘great deep ones’ Dagon and Hydra and the darker Powers they in turn serve, [i.e. Cthulhu] Deep Ones may be found furthering their unnatural masters’s ends across the world. They often offer ‘gifts’ of sorcerous knowledge to individuals or the promise of rich harvests from the sea to remote villages in an attempt to corrupt surface dwellers. Often the price of such knowledge is victims for their ritual sacrifices or forcing humans to mate with Deep Ones to produce ‘hybrids’.

Over time, the Deep Ones’s goal is to slowly corrupt the surface dwellers they have contact with to the worship of their foul gods. Their interbreeding with humanity likely serves a similar purpose. Hybrids are born seeming human [and may initially believe they are human if raised away from areas under the Deep Ones’s sway] but at some point after puberty they begin to transform into Deep Ones themselves. Thus if Deep Ones can’t corrupt humanity, perhaps they plan to breed them out.

As befits a possibly nearly immortal elder race with extensive contact with Outsiders, Deep Ones have a wide variety of sorcerous knowledge. Deep Ones pursuing the path of a scholar often have lay priest or pact backgrounds, They will have extensive knowledge of Curses, Divination, Nature, Summoning and Sea Witchery. Higher level Deep One scholars usually posses Craft Aberration and Craft New Life to better help them create monstrosities [i.e. shoggoths] for their own dark purposes.

Deep Ones are capable of great craftsmanship, creating alien but coldly beautiful jewelry and ornaments made of metallic ores unseen on the surface lands. It stands to reason they would be capable of creating armor, weapon and tools as well, though there have been no reports of them doing so.

Deep Ones speak their own language of deep croaks and bellows utterly alien to humanity as they are, but most know at least one language common to coastal settlements and sailors as well to better communicate with humanity. Deep Ones claim to be virtually immortal and capable of laying waste to human civilization if they chose to. Whether these foul creatures are in fact are telling the truth or merely spreading lies to demoralize their human foes is unknown.

Do you think you could maybe attach a text file so I could download this monster. It would be really helpful.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Er, don't know how that's done- I don't speak technical very well. My skill level with computers is such that they are little more than glorified typewriters to me. I'll send you a text file if you want to pm me an e-mail address to send it to but can't you just cut and paste the entry onto Word?

Raven

 

[Sir Hackalot]

Er, don't know how that's done- I don't speak technical very well. My skill level with computers is such that they are little more than glorified typewriters to me. I'll send you a text file if you want to pm me an e-mail address to send it to but can't you just cut and paste the entry onto Word?

Raven

Don't worry, I managed to cut and paste, saving it to a word file.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

If you want the other notes I typed on the Deep Ones for my adventure, just let me know, I can type them up. They aren't 100% compatible with Lovecraft's original version, but this is the Hyborian Age, not the 1920's.

Raven

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Update: My Kothian Noble/Scholar found a worm eaten book written in Hyperborean with the title of Liber Ebonius in a strange old shop. Just flipping through it caused a [failed] Corruption check.

Now he's reading it in earnest. 8)

Raven, who post translated stats for the book for Conan if anyone is interested

 

[René]

Update: My Kothian Noble/Scholar found a worm eaten book written in Hyperborean with the title of Liber Ebonius in a strange old shop. Just flipping through it caused a [failed] Corruption check.

Now he's reading it in earnest. 8)

Raven, who post translated stats for the book for Conan if anyone is interested

Give them to us, Raven! Thanks!

 

[Mythos]

Raven, who post translated stats for the book for Conan if anyone is interested

I'm very interested!

 

[Sir Hackalot]

If you want the other notes I typed on the Deep Ones for my adventure, just let me know, I can type them up. They aren't 100% compatible with Lovecraft's original version, but this is the Hyborian Age, not the 1920's.

Raven

That would be great. Thanks alot.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Gack! I suddenly feel wanted. 8)

However between the Liber Ebonius, Deep One notes and Sorcery system v1.1, I'm going to need time to type the notes I keep in my head. Give me one week for the Sorcery system v1.1, one week for Deep Ones and another for Liber. Since the Deep Ones and Liber refer to my sorcery system [which is still about 80% faithful to the original] you'll need the basic information.

Raven, who can feel the love- or the greed for knowledge at least 8)

 

[René]

Great things need time...
Looking forward to your posts!

 

[Raven Blackwell]

'Raven's Rules for Sorcery 1.1' has been posted- which proves I keep my word, despite my No Honour Feat. [I'm not evil, just terribly ruthless 8)] Deep Ones come next, then the Liber Eibonius.

Raven

 

[Teutonic]

The Deep Ones look some kind of weak. What do you think of using the stats for Sahuagin from D&D. I think tey are more challenging.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

The stats posted up there are the 'basic' Deep Ones- the equilivent of a level 1 commoner. They aren't meant to be a challenge unless swarm in thousands- which they can do, being there is a ocean full of them.

[Remember too that the monster is from Lovecraft's "Shadows over Innsmouth" where despite being ancient evils they can't locate much less capture a single amatuer antiquarian in a town they are familiar with. 8)]

Deep One warriors would have 1+ level of Barbraian on top of the stats above, with all the Feats, special abilities that go with it and amhpibous armor and weapons. A bit more dangerous. Their true danger though is their Priests- Deep Ones with 1+ Scholar levels tacked on- and the ancient evils like shoggoths [which would be 20+ HD creatures after translation with severe Multiattack abilites] they control and the vile artefacts they can create. Even the weaker Priests can Call up sharks and sea snakes. This is what I plan on writing up- more advanced Deep Ones and their fiendish servants. 8)

The true terror of Deep Ones though is fighting them underwater. There you are always flat footed, most of your weapons don't work well and you move at half speed. Plus unless you've got some magic to keep you breathing, you're drowning too. Froggy over there though is doing fine, being Amphibious. And of course there is the shoggoths, sharks and sea snakes. 8)

Raven, writing

 

[Teutonic]

Yeah, that sounds cool.
For Underwaterfighting I will use the rules of the AD&D 2. Ed book for the Sauagin. I think it will work to transform them.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

I also posted some rules for operating underwater earlier in this forum. In addition, I will [eventually] post the spell "Breath of Water" [which is a waterbreathing spell for Conan] in 'Raven's Rules for Sorcery', to help allow players to get in over their heads as it were. 8)