[CONAN] GM's Closet

[Supplement Four]

-- TAL, THE FISHERMAN OF RAEZE --



Rosso Talacci is a common site near the city of Raeze. You can find him plying his trade on the Riat River or down a the docks, most of the time. Other times, you can find him selling fish in the market, or if he has an especially good day, to the taverns and inns. The only time he is at his home is when he is either salting or smoking his catch, or when he is sleeping. During the day, cats and children follow him around. He constantly smells of fish.

Unlike most of the fishermen in the area, Tal fishes the few creeks and ponds in the area, spending most of his time wading in the quick current of the Riat River, spear-fishing with his trident. Tal usually catches enough fish to keep himself in clothes and equipment and eat something other than fish some days of the week. He does not store a wealth of treasure.

His friends call him "Tal," as he is a tall, thin, lanky fellow. He normally wears a wide-brimmed straw hat, a cloth headband, a white Argossean tunica that reaches to his knees and is belted at the waist, and leather sandals.

He is good natured, black headed (with short thinning hair), clean shaven, and sun weathered.

He has a grown daughter named Miep. Tal lives alone, as his wife died many years in the past. Talacci will not talk about that.

As Tal is getting on in his years, he doesn't not move as fast as he did in his youth, but he still knows how to pull in a catch. He's one of the best fishermen in the area.





ROSSO TALACCI, FISHERMAN OF THE RIAT RIVER
Commoner 3

Age: 65
Ht: 6’0
Wt: 120 lbs.

XP: 3,000

STR 9 (-1)
DEX 9 (-1)
CON 14 (+2)
INT 16 (+3)
WIS 15 (+2)
CHA 12 (+1)

BAB +1
Melee: +0
Finesse: +0
Ranged: +0

Nish: +0

Dodge AC 10
Parry AC 10

Fort +3
REF +0
Will +3

HP 12

FATE: 1

Languages (8 total): Argossean, Stygian, Shemite, Aquilonan, Kothic, Opherean, Bossonian,Zingaran
This character is illiterate.

Simple Weapon Proficiency Feat: Argossean Dagger
First Level Feat: Self Sufficient
Third Level Feat: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Trident)

Weapons:
Argossean Dagger* Dam 1d4, Crit 19/x2, AP 1, Range 10

Trident* Dam 1d10, Crit x3, AP 2, Range 10

The Argossean Dagger can be found in S&P. The Trident can be found in Argos And Zingara

Other Equipment:
Fishing Net. Fishing Kit, Belt Pouch with 11 sp.

He wears a strip of cloth around his short (balding) black hair. He is clean shaven, and wears a wide brimmed straw hat. Argossean tunica, belted at the waist. Braes. Sandals. His net is thrown across one shoulder. His fishing kit is a large, leather back that is strapped across his torso. In one hand, he carries his fishing rod. In the other hand, he carries his trident.

Weapon Familiarity: Hyborian Greatsword

Adaptability: Survival, Move Silently

Racial Skills: Gather Information, Profession (Fisherman), Balance, Use Rope

Background Skills: Gather Information, Profession (Fisherman), Knowledge (Sa’Leen), Balance, Use Rope

Skill Points (32 = 14 + 18 HI) 6 to Swim, 6 to Move Silently, 4 to Profession (Fisherman), 6 to Spot, 6 to Survival, 6 HI to Search

Class Skills
STR (-1): Climb -1, Jump -1, Swim +5
DEX (-1) Ride -1, Use Rope +3, Move Silently +7
INT (+3): Craft (mundane) +3,
WIS (+2): Listen +2, Profession (Fisherman) +10, Spot +8, Survival +12
CHA (+1): Handle Animal +1

Cross-Class Skills
DEX (-1): Balance (+3)
INT (+3): Search +9, Knowledge (Sa’Leen) +5
WIS (+2): Heal +4
CHA (+1): Gather Information +5

 

[Supplement Four]

-- RICHI REECE, COBBLER OF CERAS KEEP --



He’s a quiet man. Keeps to himself. Steady and level headed. Veteran of Milo’s horde, serving under Lord Agorsa. He stayed because of a woman. Pronounce his name “Richy Reese”. Most people refer to him by his last name, “Reece.”

Asgrim Reece, a widow, is his younger wife (19 yr old Commoner 1). Her first husband died in the Siege of Sa’Leen (fighting on the side of Lord Zym). She married Reece less than a year ago. She has a son by her first husband, 3 year old Decius. Together, she and Reece have a 10 month old daughter named Nadia.

Treasure in the home: Armor stand with a chain shirt. Propped up against the wall behind it is a never-before-worn leather jerkin that Reece made himself. Short sword, battleaxe, and a large shield.

In the corner is a hunting spear, hunting bow, quiver with 18 arrows.



RICHI REECE, COBBLER OF CERAS KEEP
1st Level Argossean Soldier

AGE: 34
HT: 5’ 11”
WT: 210 lbs.

STR: 15 (+2)
DEX: 12 (+1)
CON: 14 (+2)
INT: 12 (+1)
WIS: 9 (-1)
CHA: 10

XP: 0

Nish: +1

FATE: 1

Fort: +2
REF: +1
WILL: -1

BAB: +1

Melee: +3
Finesse: +2
Ranged: +2

HP: 15

Parry AC 12
Dodge AC 11

Languages (6 total): Argossean, Aquilonian, Pictish, Shemite, Zingaran, Stygian
This character is not literate.

POSSESSIONS: Wears well made leather work boots. Wool britches with shoulder straps. Billowy cotton shirt with sleeves rolled up and tied off with leather straps. Nice leather belt. A tool belt that holds a work knife and Argossean dagger. On his left hand, he wears a solid polished silver blessing band (50 sp). Around his neck, he wears a Medallion of Mitra (silver, 350 sp). Belt pouch with 11 sp.

Argossean Dagger (F) Dam 1d4, Crit 19/x2, AP 1, Range 10

Work Knife (F) Dam 1d4, Crit x2, AP --, Range 10’

The dagger can be found in S&P.

Hyborian Weapon Familiarity

Adaptibility: Bluff, Appraise

Racial Bonus: Gather Information, Profession (Sailor), Balance, Use Rope

Background Skills: Gather Information, Knowledge (Ceras Keep), Survival, Balance, Use Rope

Skills 12 points (4 points HI): 4 to Craft (Cobbling), 4 to Appraise, 4 to Bluff


Class Skills
STR (+2) Climb +2, Jump +2
DEX (+1) Ride +2
CON (+2)
INT (+1) Craft (Cobbling) +8, Knowledge (Geography) +5, Knowledge (Ceras Keep) +3 (2r), Knowledge (Rumors) +1, Knowledge (Warfare) +1, Search +1, Appraise +6
WIS (-1): Profession (Sailor) +1
CHA: Intimidate, Perform, Bluff +6

Cross-Class
DEX (+1): Balance +5 (2r), Use Rope +5 (2r)
WIS (-1): Survival +1 (2r)
CHA: Gather Information +4 (2r)

Soldier Proficiency Feat: Two-Weapon Combat
1st Level Feat: Skill Focus (Cobbling)
1st Level Soldier Bonus Feat: Brawl

 

[Supplement Four]

-- BARBARIC TREASURES --



This is another of the three excellent supplements created for Mongoose's Conan The Barbarian Roleplaying game using the OGL. These supplements will not cost you very much, but I think each page is worth several golden lunas to a GM running a game set during the Hyborian Age.

The introduction of this one should be read because it gives the GM a good overview of how a Conan game features many more mundane items than a standard D&D or Pathfinder game. In that intro is good advice on how to make the mundane interesting to players.

The book gives you new skills and Feats that focus on the Craft, Profession, and Knowledge skills. A scaling system is introduced so that skill checks aren't always binary pass/fail situations but, through the use of this system, become degrees of failure and degrees of success. This system just builds on that we already see under the Climb Skill description (where failing a throw by 4 or less doesn't mean the character falls, but just doesn't make any progress on his climb).

This is good stuff for your Thief characters and the fences they use (Appraise skill), and for characters who like to barter in the market. The system also shows you how to change the Craft rules so that a character doesn't work a whole week on an item just to see a failed product. The rules assume the craftsman can see whatever he is making going wrong during the process.

A Supply & Demand rule is simulated so that you can create different prices for different places. A major city like Messantia may have one price on basic daggers, but that same dagger might cost something different in a hamlet 100 leagues away from the big metropolis.

All kinds of mundane items are provided. You can use these in a number of ways. For example, if you are using the Caravan Rules shown in the Shem hardback, you can use this book to actually detail the cargo. How much does a pound of ground coffee cost? This book has that price.

Let's say you've got a player getting into his Borderer character. You can use the Hunting Rules provided in the Hyboria's Fiercest supplement, where you can actually roleplay out a hunt, using the character's skills. By adding Barbaric Treasures, you can not only determine the quality of the skin the hunter was able to obtain, but you can also figure a local price to barter it for whatever goods the character needs.

Additional equipment is provided in its own chapter. Need a desert tent? A fisherman's kit? Some Healer's Balm? A Borderer's Cloak? Tarot Cards? All that stuff is here in this book.

If you want to "get into" the economics of the game, then this is your book. If you've got a character who wants to open a smithy, this book will guide you on how to do that in the game.

There's rules for modifying weapons. New weapons and new armor is presented. The expanded unarmed attack types and Piecemeal Armor rules from the first book, The Barbaric Warrior, is reprinted here. And, if you want ancient Atlantis to be the source of some lost, but fantastic (not magical) arms and armor, then there's a section on that presenting lots of new goodies that you can use as treasure in your game.

Another section provides samples of mundane items that are made very interesting because of their history and/or craftsmanship. This makes Knowledge skills more important to players.

All-in-all, it's a great book about mundane items made very interesting and useful in your Conan game. I highly recommend this book if anything I've said here sounds interesting to you.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PDF

THIS IS ANOTHER PDF

YOU CAN BUY A DEAD TREE COPY AT LULU

 

[Supplement Four]

-- DAMAGE REDUCTION 1 --



DR 1 will provide zero protection to any weapon that has any armor piercing capability at all. When the total AP of a weapon is equal to or higher than the DR rating of armor, the DR rating is halved with fractions dropped. This means DR 2 is the minimum requirement for any type of protection. DR 1, when penetrated, will provide no damage reduction at all.

Thus, DR 1 is only good for use against weapons that have no armor penetration.

Therefore, DR 1 is a rating used for bare knuckle fighting. Don't be afraid to allow some thicker clothing to have a DR 1 rating. DR 1 will mean nothing to any foe with a weapon that has an AP rating. But, DR 1 will provide a little damage reduction for fist fights and the like.

Imagine a foe is wearing thick furs. The furs do not provide enough protection to qualify as armor, but in a hand-to-hand fist fight, the furs do provide a little bit of protection.

Maybe a character wears a large mantle (big cape) made of bear skin? Give the mantle a DR 1 rating from attacks from the rear. That's one way the DR 1 rating can be used. Or, maybe a character is wearing fairly thick leather clothes--maybe multiple layers. But, this doesn't qualify as a leather jerkin. Give the character a DR 1 rating. It makes sense.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- RED SONJA --

 

[Supplement Four]

-- BARBARIAN PICT WARRIOR --

 

[Supplement Four]

-- CHILD STATS & WOMEN --



CHILDREN

It's not often that you need stats for a character that is not an adult, but for when you do, here's a quick method for rolling them up.

I can't think of a single instance for when you'd ever need stats for an infant, so no rules are needed. For a very young child, roll 1D for all six stats. For an older child, roll 2D for all six stats.

Rolling 3D is reserved for that period in a person's life where he is maturing but not quite an adult. A teenager.

When the character matures, roll 1D, and if it is higher than any die rolled for the character, use that result instead (the same as rolling 4D, drop lowest). If you anticipate your teenagers growing into mature adults during the timespan of the game, then you'll need to record the 3D throw you originally rolled for them so that you can do this step when the character matures.





WOMEN

When rolling adult stats for the fairer sex, there are no modifiers. You still roll 4D, drop lowest, and arrange to taste. But, when you are arranging stats, lean towards placing the lower results as the character's starting STR score (and, to a lesser degree, her CON score). This will reflect the fact that women are typically weaker and less physical than men, especially during the Hyborian Age.

Of course, there are always exceptions. And, there are plenty examples in the real world where a woman is more fierce than a man. We're talking generalities here, and if you've got a good reason to have a strong woman, then don't hold back. And, certainly allow players who are playing female characters do arrange stats in any way they choose.

This is more of a rule of thumb than it is a hard rule. It's meant to reflect the way women are depicted in the Howard Conan stories. In many instances, women with ability just aren't trained to be as physical as a man. Women don't get the same opportunities as men. And, by using this rule of thumb, you'll find that the women in your game will be, on average, smarter and more charismatic than many men because their lower rolls will be placed in STR first, then CON. Women will generally have more skill points due to the higher INT scores, and their skills will have higher modifiers because more often higher stat results are placed in DEX, INT, WIS, and CHR, which are the primary stats for the vast majority of skills in the game.

So, women aren't useless--they're just better at different things than men.

And, don't forget the Temptress class, which is designed for female characters.

Women also make fantastic Scholars. As for combat, if trained at all in that area, women are more likely to be Finesse Fighters and skilled with Ranged Combat, with high DEX scores.

 

[Condottiere]

I miss the brass brassieres and the chainmail bikini.

 

[Supplement Four]

I miss the brass brassieres and the chainmail bikini.

Just for you, then!

Cheers!

 

[Supplement Four]

-- SHE DEVIL WITH A SWORD --

 

[Condottiere]

She's a warrior for justice, just not very socially inclined.

Howard's copyright should be up by now.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- THE GRIKO and the DANIANS --



Argos is made up of a few different racial groups, just like any kingdom. We are really talking about sub-groups, here, as all are still Argosseans first. But, like there are Black Americans, Mexican-Americans, Italian-Americans, Native Americans, and the rest, Argos has their own racial sub-groups.

Two of these racial groups dominate the kingdom.





THE DAN

The Danians are the most populous group in the kingdom. They inhabit the western coastal regions. These Argosseans are of a diluted bloodline: Argossean racial stock is mixed with just about every other race known to exist. Because this group is so numerous, some scholars have come to regard the Argossean nation as a whole as no longer Hyborian, considering the people of Argos as its own race.

The term "Danian" refers to the first King of Argos, Danaus.





THE GRIKO

The second major racial group are the Griko. This bloodline remains the most purely Argossean of any in the Kingdom. These are the true Hyborians. The Griko live in central Argos and along the Aquilonian border. Though often a lie, most of the nobility in the Kingdom declares itself Griko. And, without any method to test the claim, who is to argue? Physically, the Danians have a wider range of ethnic traits (hair, skin, eye color, etc.) than do the Griko, but it is often quite hard to tell the two races apart.

The term "Griko" refers to a clan of the original Bori tribes that conquered ancient Acheron and settled the central part of the kingdom.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- THE MOH'J --



Mohjites (pronounced: Moe-gites) are a race that has grown from the breeding between Argosseans and Shemites along their shared border. Physically, the Moh'j are a white race with skin tones ranging from that of Argosseans to that of Shemites. Their most distinctive feature are their foreheads, where their skull bones are more angular than they are round. Almost all Mohjites shave half of their heads, leaving the crown and other half with long hair. Hair color is usually shades of brown or black. Eyes are typically brown, but hazel, green, and even blue are not unheard of among this race.

The term "Mohjite" is typically used to describe them from an Argossean point of view while the Shemites refer to the race, collectively, as "The Moh'j" (pronounced Moe-jah). The Argosseans refer to the using the slur "Wailer."

Have you ever seen two old Mohjite women go at it? Their voices lift an octave, and they speak so fast that even a native Shemite speaker would have trouble understanding them. And, Mitra! Ever seen a Mohjite funeral! The hoots and hollers they make! They make that same noise even when they find themselves on the wrong side of a bargain!

Damn Wailers.

Culturally, the Mohjites are a clannish, gypsy-like race. Many travel from town to town in wagons of large family groups, selling their trinkets and stealing everything in sight. Some Moh'j find work as servants for wealthy Argosseans (think the children's nanny who is a voodoo priestess in her private time). But, most Argosseans think of the Moh'j as a lower, less evolved race, only suited to menial work. Sorcery is part of the Moh'j religion, though no Moh'j thinks of any displayed power as sorcery but more of a blessing from their god. The Moh'j gods are those of the Shemites. But, there is a growing sect of the Moh'j that now worships the Old, Forgotten Gods.

The Mohjites are also tribal hillmen living in the heights between Shem and Argos, raiding both sides of the border. Typically, these bandits keep themselves in check with all the fighting that they do amongst themselves. Khalar Zym was a Moh'j Warlord who united several tribes and conquered parts of both Shem and Argos and held his territory, in spite of King Milo's efforts, for several decades.





Khalar Zym, and his daughter, Marique, are Mohjites. Notice the foreheads and the way the hairline is pushed back to the top of the head. All Mohjites groom themselves this way.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- CONAN THE INVINCIBLE --


I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I do. I've read it four times. Prior to reading it, my exposure to Conan was through the de Camp series--the only ACE and Lancer books. Then, in 1982, this puppy came out. I had just been taught how to play this interesting game called D&D. I read it on a trip I took to see a friend of mine in a neighboring state. I couldn't drive then. I was too young. So, I sat in the back and read this during the road trip. I remember being put out because, as the night came, we were still travelling, and I couldn't read it any more!

This book captured my attention from page one and didn't let it go until the last page. It's a great Conan tale, and it's got it all: A cunning sorcerer and his army of beings that should be extinct, a hard-headed bandit leader with a crew of nefarious characters, a noble soldier honor bound to do his duty, and CONAN! At an age not quite 19, during his "thief" period in Shadizar! Abuletes and Semiramis appear--characters from Howard's outline for the story Hall of the Dead. These events would take place not too long after Howard's The Tower of the Elephant.

I re-read the book several years ago, in the late 90's, just to see if it still held the same magic with my more adult eyes. It did. Then, I read it again, about a decade later. Loved it. And, today, I am finishing it for a fourth time. It's a damn good adventure yarn. It's "fun" and "pulpy" all at the same time.

I love the way Jordan writes Conan. His writing is not the same has Howards. The character does feel different. You're going to get that with a different author.

But...is it any good?

I think it is. I think it's great. In fact, I love all of Jordan's Conan tales, even the novelization he did for the second movie, Conan The Destroyer. Jordan's book actually reads better than the movie--much, much better than the movie!

If you want to read a good Conan tale, then I recommend this one. Conan The Invincible by Robert Jordan.

It's good stuff.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- FLEET FOOTED --


You may not think too much of this Feat and skim past it in search of more useful feats for your character. But, let me show you how this feat can be extremely useful to a character, especially a low level character.

Combat encounters will often begin at a distance of 61+ feet. The reason for this is that foes are attempting to guard themselves from being caught flatfooted on the first combat round, and the typical maximum distance of a charge is 60 feet. Thus, some foes--especially those with low initiative bonuses--will start a combat encounter with a ranged attack, keeping their distance until round two, where being caught flat footed is no longer an option.

FLEET FOOTED and the CHARGE

A character with the Fleet Footed feat adds 5 feet to his Speed. So, a character with a normal Speed 30 is Speed 35 with this feat. The foe who moves no closer than 65 feet in order to avoid being caught flatfooted by a Charge is in for a big surprise when up against a Fleet Footed character, because that character's charge range is 70 feet!

FLEET FOOTED and the WITHDRAW

But another tactic that a Fleet Footed character can do is to take advantage of the Withdraw maneuver. With a typical Withdraw, where the Speed ratings are the same, the character's foe can choose to follow and stay with the fleeing character. But, when the withdrawing character if Fleet-Footed, the character withdraws 10 more feet than his foe. This blocks the foe from charging the withdrawing character the following round. It also put the Fleet-Footed character in an advantaged position if he is trying to get away from his attacker. And, the extra distance can be used to put the Fleet-Footed character in a better tactical position by setting the foe up for a push over a cliff or into a fire, or have the Fleet-Footed character find cover.

FLEET FOOTED and MOVEMENT

The Fleet-Footed character will also end chases faster by either catching his prey more quickly or being able to escape those chasing him, simply because he's got a faster Speed rating.

So, as you can see, there are a lot of practical uses for the Fleet-Footed Feat in this game.

 

[Supplement Four]

-- CONAN: Argos and Zingara --



This hardback that Mongoose published for the game is useful for campaigns set in either Argos or Zingara, but the book doesn't blow me away. I consider it essential to campaigns set in either kingdom where you want to follow "official" information about the places and gain interesting tid-bits that you can build upon, but the book is in no way necessary to the Conan GM that has his own thoughts about how either Argos or Zingara should be.

The book is extremely light on rules. It's almost all fluff. And, and this can be a good thing for those wanting to use a different rule set for their Hyborian based games.

Here's an overview of what is contained in the book.

Introduction

Chapter 1: Life in Argos - Topics include: Honor & Reputation, Allegiance, Education, Women in Argos, Prosperity, Houses, Ships, Slavery, Occupations, Craft Guilds, Merchant Houses, Other Guilds, Trade, Argos' Mercantile Economy, Social Standing, Social Mobility.

This first chapter is actually only 8 pages long, and it is suitable for use as a player hand-out. It will give players a good, broad view of the kingdom.



Chapter 2 - Characters in Argos - Topics include: Racial Variants, a separate section for Argosseans of each of the six main character classes, Gladiators, Treatment of Gladiators, Free Citizens as Gladiators, Gladiator Training, Women as Gladiators, Arms and Armor of Gladiators, Gladiator Types, Gladiators Owners.

Basically, this chapter discusses each character class in terms of the Argossean. The second half of the chapter is completely focused on gladiators.



Chapter 3 - The Argossean Military - Topics include: War Formations, City Policing, Royal Guards, Military, The Guardians, and Navy.

A broad overview of the military as it is used in Argos.



Chapter 4 - Entertainment in Argos - Topics include: Gladiator Games, Typical Formats (for gladitorial games), Racing (boat races, horse races, foot races), Seabreaker (a boating event), Music, Theater, Feasts, The King's Ear, and The Birth of Mitra.

This chapter is full of roleplaying and "flavor" ideas. GMs can use these as background to set adventures against.



Chapter 5 - Government and Politics in Argos - Topics include: Feudal Government, Argossean History, Argossean Law, Interior Law, Coastal City Law, Government, King Milo (NPC).

This is a good chapter for the GM to read. It will give consistency and structure to the political nature of the kingdom--which is a mess. Argos, although still a monarchy, has a strong aspect as a republic that includes a strong feudal interior with quasi-independent fiefs and non-feudal free cities along the coast. Throw into this mix the power of the Royal Nobility, the Church of Mitra, and the powerful Merchant Houses, and you've got a quagmire of conflicting rules and laws, making for an incredibly interesting place to set a game!



Chapter 6 - Geography of Argos - Topics include: The Coast of Argos, Important Argossean Urban Centers.

This chapter is presented in basically two sections. First, different geographical features of the kingdom are described. But, most of the chapter is devoted to the descriptions of interesting cities and villages. The descriptions of which are pretty detailed and give you enough to make each place feel a little different than the others. This gives GMs the tools to make the places memorable in the minds of the players--not just another city or hamlet.



That's the first half of the book. The last half gives similar treatment to the kingdom of Zingara, with chapters very much like the ones I cite above.

All-in-all, I consider the book a pretty good read. And, there are lots of gems buried in the text waiting for a creative GM to find and exploit. For example, when you read about King Milo, it stats that he and the Royal Family prefer traditional Argossean armor even though their wealth allows them to import the best armor in the world from other kingdoms. That's a neat roleplaying aspect a GM can use if the players ever see Milo or any of his sons during the game. And, that's just one example. The city of Napalitos, for example, has a culture of living life on the streets. Instead of dark taverns, covered areas open to the streets are common. There is lots of work for a character of the Soldier class, but Argos is not known for their soldiers. What the kingdom is known for is hiring mercenaries from other countries. Pelishtim mercs are favored. See, there's lot of neat details that a GM can read and throw into his game to give it authenticity.

On the other hand, I've seen better sourcebooks. The Conan book that covers Aquilonia, for example, blows this book away. I'd give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

You should have enough information here to decide whether you'd like to get it for you own game.

 

[Supplement Four]

Mongoose's Character Sheet for the Second Edition.

Click Here: By The Strength of Mine Sword!

 

[Supplement Four]

 

[Supplement Four]

 

[Supplement Four]