Conan Rules and Clarifications

Indeed Argo - very well done. I read it again today after my NyQuil coma.

As I posted my questions before in various thread, other players often seemed annoyed and said "see how it works before you change it!"

I understand that, but I've been playing the standard mechanic in other games and I considered it was the Conan RPG that changed it - not me. And I have been skeptical if it all worked as well as everyone advocated because the game has not been out long at all. I just wondered how well the gritty mechanics have been tested. My concerns about Bluff, Feint, Finesse, and Touch Attacks are pretty well known by most that have posted on this thread.

Due to everyone's input and your especially convincing explanation Argo, I'm not raising those questions again like before.

-Instead-

I would be VERY interested to know how playing the game this way is working for everyone.

Instead of a "Works great!" (which is fine BTW), I'd prefer to hear just a little about what happened in your game and how it came out.

With the adjustments to the mechanics, are the classes and their abilities pretty well balanced regarding their strengths and weaknesses?

If the gameplay is not balanced, is there anything the others of us should keep an eye out for?

--Since play by post games are slow, it is going to take me much longer to experience all of this so I'm hoping to get any House Rules in order as fast as I can on the front end.

So far, from the comments here, I've decided the following:
House Rule 1:
Despite the current FAQ, your initiative will be calculated as follows:
Init=Dex+Base Ref+Feat mods

House Rule 2:
DEFENSIVE BLASTS
For those that have selected the Dabbler feat and are NOT true Scholar Sorcerers:
You cannot use Defensive Blast.
For scholar sorcerers that wish to use Defensive Blast:
Defensive Blast will count as a Mighty Spell and will subject the sorcerer to Runaway Magic.

House Rule 3:
Spending a Fate Point for a Mighty Blow:
Does maximum critical hit damage and may result in the weapon shattering/breaking.
(Whether the weapons breaks or not will be determined by the GM.)

House Rule 4:
As suggested by the authors of the game:
Each successful hit does a minimum of 1 point of damage.
If the damage is not enough to make it through a foe's DR, then the 1 point is non-lethal.

--Anyway, let me know people how's it going in your game if you get a chance and don't mind.
 
Okay I am very tired here, should really haul my butt to bed, but I am prepping for a Conan session, and was trying to complete a cheat sheet with combat formulas for my players. Argo, please feel free to correct me on this. :P

I came upon something strange. In Conan, it is actually harder to perform a Touch Attack, than attacking someone that is Flat-Footed. :shock:

Flat-footed pretty much means a maximum DV of 10 for a medium sized character, while Touch DV is equal to your Dodge rating.

I have nothing in particular against this, but it was a weird observation, given how used I am to D&D. I know though that the passive defense of DR is still in place in Conan, but it will still take some getting used to.

TTFN,

Yokiboy
 
Yokiboy said:
I came upon something strange. In Conan, it is actually harder to perform a Touch Attack, than attacking someone that is Flat-Footed. :shock:

Flat-footed pretty much means a maximum DV of 10 for a medium sized character, while Touch DV is equal to your Dodge rating.

Makes sense, doesn't it? If you are flatfooted you are unprepared to defend yourself against an attack. If someone attempts a touch attack against you, you can try to avoid it by dodging away from it.
 
WHats strange is that this argument has been going on for a while; yet the developers have not yet posted their thoughts, clarifications. I think they themselves had now idea of what the answer is, thus they are holding back. Great. Anyway;

The 'one' text as you call it, is the only one that seems to imply that feinting results in a loss to both dodge bonuses, AND dex bonuses, seems a bit 'dodgy' itself. SInce this is the only such text, it may be safe to presume this is the one that is incorrect; perhaps a layby of the old 'roll with DV' thing.

The d20 system as used in other games which give a class bonus to defence (starwar d20), states you lose ONLY DEX (or is that ONLY class bonus?) to defence in such a situation (ex: feint). Flatfooted is the exception, as is hanging of a cliff ofcourse,as well as condition like stunned, grappled, etc. I will look up my SW d20 and check.

Since this is the norm in the other d20 games, it would be logical to assume it is true to conan as well, rather than taking the blurby word of a single line of text in a bug riddled core rule book. Otherwise, feinting becomes too munchy. Way way too munchy. :x

Anyway, what does one have to do to get the develeopers to drop a line here, stop buying their expensive products? Or does the sons of cimmeria program absolve them from further liability to the product?
 
Yokiboy said:
Okay I am very tired here, should really haul my butt to bed, but I am prepping for a Conan session, and was trying to complete a cheat sheet with combat formulas for my players. Argo, please feel free to correct me on this. :P

I came upon something strange. In Conan, it is actually harder to perform a Touch Attack, than attacking someone that is Flat-Footed. :shock:

Flat-footed pretty much means a maximum DV of 10 for a medium sized character, while Touch DV is equal to your Dodge rating.

I have nothing in particular against this, but it was a weird observation, given how used I am to D&D. I know though that the passive defense of DR is still in place in Conan, but it will still take some getting used to.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

This would be the case in regular DnD as well, if you try to hit an oponent relying on his DEX mod more than his armour, wouldn't it?

Normal:
10+5 (dex mod) +2 (leather) = AC 17
Touch:
10+5 (dex mod) = AC 15
Flat-Footed:
10+2 (leather) = AC 12

i.e. the Touch attack is harder than the Flat-footed.

/wolf
 
Congratulations Argo, I was about to make the same point about Passive and Active Defense but you did it better than I could ever do.

I'll stay by this ruling : Passive Defense=DR, Active Defense = everything else (lost if flat-footed, feinted etc.). As these are pure interpretations, playtest will tell (cant believe I have to wait until April 1st :cry: ).
 
I really think the explanations in here need to be cleaned up, and then:
(1) made into a sticky for this forum, perhaps in a FAQ sticky, and
(2) be put into the Conan RPG revised printing, or at least the PDF FAQ.
 
Luckily, it will all be moot soon...

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1740

Mongoose Bob said:
Yuan-Ti said:
Please! pretty-pretty-please, Mongoose!

I already have a player with a 1st level Hyborian Thief who has designed his character around Improved Feint, finesse attacks, and his +7 Bluff. :?

Will have a decision tomorrow, just wanted to make sure we read the current rules and had a look at the implications before we say which way we are to go with this.

I can see good arguements for both sides and wanted to discuss it here a little more first.
 
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