[CONAN] GM's Closet

[Supplement Four]

-- SUNLESS CITADEL CONVERSION --

Area 5. Secret Pocket



I can see no story reason for this secret room, and the skeletons that spring to life if PC discover the secret door do not make sense in the context of the Hyborian Age. I'm not against having skeletons come to life--I just don't see a reason for this room or encounter from a Conan perspective.

As far as this conversion goes, Area 5 does not exist.

There's nothing to see here. Move along. Move along.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- WHAT'S IN S&P? --



Signs & Portents is the gaming magazine published by Mongoose. It supports their house games. Originally, it was print only, but eventually it switched to a free digital download. You can find tons of articles devoted to the Conan RPG by downloading these mags (it's free on the Mongoose site). The original print stuff is not available for free, but fret not, as just about all of that material has found its way into official Conan supplements.

So...what kind of stuff can you get out of S&P?

I'll tell you...



CHARACTER RACES

-- Sample Aquilonian names.

-- New Race: Iranistani

-- New Race: Acheronians.

-- Hyrkanian race explored over several articles.

-- New Race: Saami

-- Pygmies of the Hyborian Age





CHARACTER CLASSES

-- New Thief Sneak Attack Styles

-- New Borderer Combat Styles

-- New Class: Healer

-- New Class: Gladiator

-- New Class: Martial Disciple

-- Discussion on Noble Followers





EQUIPMENT

-- Daggers from specific regions of the world

-- Thief Equipment





COMBAT

-- Chariot Combat Rules





SORCERY

-- Several articles bringing new Spells to the game





LOCATIONS

-- Barachan Isles (mentioned in Robert E. Howard's The Hour of the Dragon, and starting location for the Age of Conan online game)

-- Typical Stygian Temples

-- Aghrapur (Turanian capital mentioned in several Conan stories)

-- Mount Yimsha (from Robert E. Howard's The People of the Black Circle)

-- The Palace of Cetriss (from Conan And The Emerald Lotus by John C. Hocking)

-- Xuthal (from Robert E. Howard story The Slithering Shadow, also known as Xuthal of the Dusk)





BEASTIARY

-- Several articles on animals, creatures, monsters and demons. Some of these are quite in depth, "ecology" type articles.





ADVENTURE

-- Multiple adventures, for various character levels, set all over the world. Some of these are just adventure ideas. Many are fully fleshed out adventures. Included is Eric Rodriquez's expansive (runs about 30 pages) low-level adventure that was originally slated to be published as an official adventure before Mongoose stopped producing Conan RPG products, To Save A Kingdom. Some are set in locations from the Conan stories. The adventures are the largest portion of the S&P articles.





OTHER TOPICS

-- Gambling Rules

-- The Ark of Delight, a floating bordello.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- Map of the Thurian Continent --



This is an exceptional map of the Hyborian Age, by Vagner Silva, based on the maps by Robert E. Howard and the research by Dale Rippke.

The Hyborian Age

 

[Supplement Four]

-- Shooting at a Target in Melee --



When shooting into melee with a missile or thrown weapon, there is no chance that your comrade or another target is hit if you miss your intended target under the Conan rules. This little rule variant is for those who want to add that aspect of combat to their games.

It's a simple rule. When shooting into melee, the attacker takes a -4 penalty to hit. If the attacker misses his target because of that penalty (misses by 1-4 points), then there is a chance that another target in the melee was attacked ("attacked", not "hit"). In this instance, simply compare the attack total thrown to the alternate target's defense to determine if the other target was hit.





Example: Bartha the bowman is using his hunting bow to fire into a melee where his companion, Rodolfo, is engaged in melee with a town guardsman. Bartha's attack is at -4 since he is firing into melee, trying to avoid hitting Rodolfo. Bartha's attack roll is 12. The guardman is using his Dodge AC of 13 to defend himself, and thus, Bartha's attack misses. But, since Bartha's attack missed, he may have struck Rodolfo.

To figure is Rodolfo is struck, simply compare Bartha's attack of 12 to Rodolfo's defense. Rodolfo is also using his Dodge AC 16 defense, and since Bartha cannot hit an AC 16 with his attack of 12, Rodolfo was not struck either.

If you want, you can carry this run on if there are multiple opponents engaged in the melee (or, consider that up to 1 other target can be attacked and be done with it--your choice). Bartha missed Rodolfo by 4 points, so the next target is considered, and so on. Stop checking if the missile attack throw is 5+ points less than its target. And, the first target selected is the one closest to the line of sight between Bartha and his original target (roll randomly if there is more than one eligible target).

Do not use this rule when melee fighters are 10' or more distant, as with reach combat (the rule is not used anything the -4 penalty is not applied). Also, characters who have the Precise Shot Feat are also not subject to this rule (those characters with that feat are so good that they never hit unintended targets if they miss their primary target that is in melee).

 

[Supplement Four]

-- Non-Lethal Weapon For Guards --



Here's an idea I had that I think would serve to play against the stereotypical town guard in Conan stories. I picture a place where the local lord actually cares about his people. The guardsmen where swords that fit into scabbards that have two leather hoops attached. These leather hoops slide over the short guard piece on the sword--a type of safety--locking it in place. The scabbard fits into a metal ring that hangs from the guardsman's weapon belt. So, what the guardsman has is a club. The soldier can swing the sword, with the scabbard attached, as a non-lethal weapon. The scabbards must be made of metal, or of hard, lacquered wood, to serve this purpose. If the soldier needs a blade, he has it, but for most occasions, he swings his club-sword when he needs to bang heads.

I'm thinking of some temple guard in Ophir, but, hey, this idea can really be used anywhere you think it fits.

 

[Supplement Four]

 

[Supplement Four]

-- SUNLESS CITADEL CONVERSION --

Area 6. Old Approach



Above, I removed Area 5 from the adventure. That area does have a trap, though, and I'm going to use it here.

First, the map shows that the door leading to Area 6 is wood. Change that. We're making it a stone secret door. What the PCs will see when entering Area 4 is a wood door to the right, and about where a door would be is a giant, bas relief sculpture of a writhing dragon. This is done on a large piece of marble (now cracked and pitted).

DC 15 Knowledge Nobility
DC 17 Knowledge Local (if local is applicable to the area), or Knowledge Geography, or Knowledge Warfare
DC 19 Knowledge Religion

...to know that the dragon design is a standard seen on the shields of an ancient Bori warlord who ruled in this area of Argos, long, long ago.




DC 16 Search
DC 21 Search

...make one roll. On a 16 or better, the PC will realize that marble sculpture is really a secret door, and the key hole for this door is inside the dragon's mouth. If the roll is 21 or better, also tell the PC that he notices a peculiar hole in the upper ridges of the mouth. This is hard to see as the dragon's head curls to a point at which a door handle would normally be. In order to see the hole, one has to crouch down and look up into the roof of the dragon's mouth. In order to pick the lock, one has to put his hand inside the dragon's mouth. The lock is atop the forked tongue.

Play this up. The idea here is to make the players trepidatious about the lock. The hole is, indeed, a trap, but it's now harmless. When sprung, a needle will shoot out of the hole, piercing the skin. But, the poison has long since evaporated. The trap only does 1 point of damage. And, even when sprung, give the PC a DC 16 Reflex check to jerk his hand out and away from the trap before the needle strikes.

The way to disable this trap, since most of it is hidden, is to find something to plug up the whole. No matter what the players come up with, give the character a DC 20 Disable Device check. Do this in secret so that the player does not know if the trap is deactivated or not (if what he stuck up the tiny hole will resist the pressure from the needle being shoved out.

If the players decide to break down the door, here are its stats: Bas-Relief Stone Door - Hardness 8, HP 30, AC 5, DC 26 to Break.





Inside.

Once inside, the PCs will see a 20' wide hall. The far end is collapsed, and the floor is cracked and slanted at a fairly steep angle near the collapsed end. The entire room has a slight tilt in the floor that gradually gets steeper until it is cracked at a larger angle. Lots of rubble collects the last 10' feet before the collapsed area.

The only other feature of note is...another bas relief door. It's the exact same type of door that leads into this room. Except this one is harder to open. I'll describe this door in more detail in my write up o Area 7.





Threat.

There is a threat in this room, but it's not automatic. It's for those PCs who spend time examining the rubble at the end of the room. The desert rats that infest the place have tunnels and nests throughout the rubble. One of the tunnels enters this room from the collapsed part of the corridor with the opening in the rubble up above the PCs' heads. Rubble extends 10' from the collapsed area. PC's can venture 5' into the rubble with no repercussions. But, if a character moves within 5' of the collapsed area, there is a Desert Rat that is in his hole, up above the character. The Rat will then feel threatened and attack. After its first attack, though, the rat will try to run back to its hole and disappear. It will also do this if damaged and survives the attack.

No encounter happens, though, if the PCs do not get within 5' of the collapsed area to threaten the thing.

Except....when a PC is in the corridor alone. These Desert Rats are aggressive. They're as big as medium sized dogs (think about 70-80 lbs). They're about 3' long, not counting the tail. These are big, mean sonofaguns. So, if a PC remains in the area alone, the rat will try to come get him.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- ARMOR OFF THE DEAD --


Sometimes, your players will want to strip the dead in order to upgrade or replace armor. Most mail and leather armors will automatically fit. Read the armor descriptions to make a determination.

What the GM needs to consider, though, is the condition of the armor. A killing blow will often damage armor. I suggest using a slightly tweaked version of the rule on page 179 of the 2E Core Rulebook. Roll 1d5 -1 (for a result of 0-4) and reduce the DR value for the armor by this amount to account for the killing blow. If you don't like fiddling with 1d5, you can use 1d6 -2. That gives a chance (20% on the d5 and 33% on the d6) the armor is not damaged at all.

But...another thing a GM should consider is that armor from the dead is rarely clean. People crap themselves when they die (sometimes). They may throw up or spit up blood. Certainly, if the soldier died from a cut, the armor is most likely soaked (caked) in old blood. If we're talking leather armor, this is a nightmare. If we're talking mail, then it's easier to clean, but you still have to clean it. And, even armor like a breastplate has leather straps and ties.

If a character wears dirtied armor, then consider the smell. And, maybe even consider the disease rules should the character be damaged in combat (an open wound exposed to 3-Day old dried blood!).

 

[Supplement Four]

-- SUNLESS CITADEL CONVERSION --

Area 13. Empty



I'm going to skip Areas 7-12 for now. I'll come back to them later. Those areas are closed off from the rest of the dungeon, and I want them to hold the key to the answer of this place--what it was. Something that will make sense to the players.

And as for the Area 13s, as there are several of them, I'm going to go with what the module says. They are featureless rooms, with nothing but rocks and debris--good places to hold up and rest.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- The Hyborian Age and the Real World --



This map shows an overlay of the Hyborian Age and modern day Europe, Africa, and Asia. It will give you some real world sense of how big the Hyborian Age is.

Click Here.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- 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."

 

[Supplement Four]

-- 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.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- 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.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- 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.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- 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.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- 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

 

[Supplement Four]

-- 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.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- 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.

 

[Supplement Four]

Post Deleted.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- LITERACY --



This is a neat, optional rule. It's something that can add flavor to a campaign. It's not meant to be an annoyance. It's just another tool a GM can use for the atmosphere and enjoyment of his game.

The Core Rulebook has Commoners start the game illiterate. To become literate, a Commoner must spend two skill points. All PCs are considered literate, but NPCs from some classes are probably not literate (like many races that use the Barbarian class).

This is a simple rule that I lifted out of the new RPG Primeval Thule.



Literacy.

Every character, PC or not, begins the game illiterate. During character generation, after INT is finalized, the character can make an INT check to determine if the character is literate. The check is up to the GM. If the character is a Pict Barbarian, then the check might be DC 15. If the character is a Scholar, then the check should be automatic, at DC 0 or DC 1. But, a Cimmerian Scholar may be who serves as the Clan Oracle may certainly be illiterate. Thus, the check for that character may be DC 15.

The idea is for the GM to decide how likely it is a character is literate, then set the DC accordingly. An Aquilonian rural farmer (1st level Borderer) may have a DC 15 to be literate. But, an Aquilonian Soldier may have a DC 10.

You can probably pick from three different checks (DC 5, DC 10, and DC 15) to cover just about any type of literacy check. Likely is DC 5. Possible is DC 10. And, Not Likely is DC 15. But, the GM can easily pick whatever number he thinks appropriate. For example, maybe Cimmerian Barbarians that live near the border or Aquilonia have a DC 13 to be literate. But, those Cimmerians that live in central Cimmeria have a DC 15. And, those Cimmerians that live near the borders with the Aesir and Vanir have a DC 17.

If a Player Character is not literate, then he can re-roll every time the character gains a level. The GM can change the DC to reflect the character's experiences and traveling companions.



Reading and Writing Languages.

If a GM wants to get even more detailed, then have the character check for each language that the speaks. It may be likely that a Cimmerian can read the runic language of the Aesir (DC 12, let's say), but not as likely that the same character can read and write the Aquilonian tongue (DC 17 on that one).

The GM should pick a DC appropriate to the character, based on his life experience and background. Different character, who are alike in many ways, can easily have different Literacy DCs based on either's personal experiences, geographical locations, etc.



Example.

Yuri The Knife is a character in my game. He is an Argossean, having grown up near the sea and the border with Shem. Through his pre-game character background, though, created by the player, we know that Yuri hasn't spent all of his life in and around his hometown. He spent two years as an Archer, serving King Milo, as a Guardian. The Guardians are a type of Border Patrol that protects the many borders of Argos. Yuri spent those two years chasing Shemite bandits in the hills between the two kingdoms. And, after Yuri has put in his mandatory time for his kingdom, he went to sea. He signed on as an archer on a merchantman, part of the ship's defenses. Three years he spent on the waves, and he has become a good deckhand.

When our game begins, Yuri has just returned home.

The game is pretty liberal at awarding languages. Yuri has an INT 15, with a +2 modifier. So, as GM, I could establish these checks to see which languages where Yuri is literate.

DC 5: Argossean - It's his native language. We'll make this one easy.

DC 10: Aquilonian - Aquilonia is a presence to its neighbors, and I'm sure does a lot of trade with Argos.

DC 15: Kothic - Koth shares a border with Argos, but it is all mountains.

DC 13: Opherian - Ophir shares a border with Argos, and it is also all mountains. But, Ophir does a lot of trade with Argos.

DC 8: Shemetish - Lots of Shemites where Yuri was brought up.

DC 13: Stygian - It's on the other side of Shem. I started with DC 15, but I lowered it 2 points to account for the time Yuri was at sea and could have had dealings with Stygians (maybe in Stygian ports).

DC 8: Zingaran - Likely knows this language. Started with DC 10 and lowered it to DC 8 because it was so likely. Then raised it again to DC 10 because the Zingaran border is opposite where Yuri grew up. Then, lowered it again to DC 8 to account for Yuri's time at sea.




Rule of Thumb.

I start with the three base DC numbers: DC 5 is Likely, DC 10 is Possible, DC 15 is Unlikely. Then, I think about geographical distance and probability of contact with the language speakers. And, I think about if the character has any background experience that would make the check easier. This will move the check up or down by 2 points. That's how I created the checks above. You can see my thinking with the notes beside each language check.

I think it would be appropriate, too, to use either a straight INT check for these rolls, or allow the character to use his Decipher Script skills, if the character starts the game with any ranks in that skill.