Supplement Four
Mongoose
I hit a couple of used bookstores today and found a couple of things that will be be useful in a Conan game.
First up is a book of monsters. Yes, we have the Bestiary, and I like it. But, you can never have too many monsters to throw at your players, right?
And, the monsters in Conan have a certain feel. Your typical D&D fair just won't do.
So, I suggest this book: The Book of Fiends
This looks to be an outstanding book. Devils, demons, daemons, outsiders...this is very good stuff. Dark. Would fit in the Hyborian Age easily. There's a few things, as with any d20 product, that you'll have to ignore, but, for the most part, this looks to be a magnificent, very Conan, book o' beasties.
Mine's brand new. I got it for $17 bucks. I know you can get it at lulu.com, through Green Ronin, and at DriveThruRPG.com. That $149.99 that Amazon lists is crazy, although I do see from google that I got a heck of a bargain for a brand new book.
What Green Ronin says...
Devils, demons, and daemons--these are the ultimate servants of evil. Learn all their foul secrets in the Book of Fiends, the definitive sourcebook on these fell creatures. This tome collects Green Ronin's critically acclaimed Legions of Hell and Armies of the Abyss sourcebooks and combines them with the long awaited treatment of daemons, Hordes of Gehenna. All the fiends have been updated to the 3.5 rules, and the material on demons and devils has been revised and expanded. Details on the plane of Gehenna, its rulers, and inhabitants are also revealed for the first time. The Book of Fiends is jam-packed with evil for your campaign, including:
•Over 130 daemons, devils, demons, and other creatures of the Lower Planes, illustrated and with complete 3.5 stats.
•Monsters with CRs from 1/2 to 40; there are foes for characters of all levels.
•Brand new devils and demons that add to the classic fiends of Legions of Hell and Armies of the Abyss.
•Two core classes, the black-hearted Thaumaturge and the dreaded Unholy Warrior, complete with Epic-level progressions.
•Info on the celestial choirs and the fallen angels.
•Inspired illustrations by top artists like Sam Wood, Raven Mimura, Dennis Detwiller, Toren Atkinson, and Brian Despain.
•Details on the nine Lords of Hell, the seven Exarchs of Gehenna, and a plethora of Demon Princes.
•4 infernal prestige classes for servants of Hell.
•A handy index by Challenge Rating.
•A bonus appendix by Enkwell Press detailing two cities of the Lower Planes.
•Ties to other popular Green Ronin products, such as the Book of the Righteous, the Avatar's Handbook, and the Unholy Warrior's Handbook.
The Book of Fiends provides profoundly evil foes your players will never forget.
Sample
Another Sample
The second one I picked up is perfect for detailing your Scholar characters in the Conan RPG. It's called Occult Lore, part of the Penumbra series by Atlast games.
This is a fan-tas-tic boook, toooo!
Here's what Atlas Says about it:
Occult Lore
All the myriad secrets of magic ...
Wizards study their academic magics in great halls of learning; sorcerers discover their spells through innate talent; clerics call upon the gods for a share of divine favor. But what of those magic-users who delve into the less well-charted realms of the mystic traditions? What of those who tap into the power of the heavenly spheres, or use the secret essences of the plant or mineral kingdoms to distill potent magical concoctions? Those whose gift lies in drawing spirits or elemental forces to do their bidding, or who can explore the twisting paths of a dreamer's mind? What of those whose very presence tampers with the familiar magic of arcane and divine spellcasters?
All these find their place in Occult Lore.
Occult Lore is the definitive tome of alternate OGL magic systems. This 240-page hardcover tome contains new spells, magic items, creatures, PC and NPC classes, prestige classes, domains, and in-depth rules for ten new magic traditions:
Alchemy allows the Arcane Healer to tend to his patients in the absence of a Cleric, and the Grand Alchemist to pursue the immortality granted by just a drop of pure philosopher's gold.
Astrology places the wisdom of the stars into the hands of mortals; horoscopes can predict a character's future, the most auspicious time to explore a dungeon, or let an Astrologer control the subject of a nativity from afar.
Solar Hierophants embody the sun itself, becoming celestial creatures, while Lunar Mystagogues become the masters of magical secrecy, exerting their dark power over creatures of the earth and underworld.
Elementalism turns the forces of air, earth, fire, and water to the will of the spellcaster, until the Elementalist tranforms herself into one of the elemental creatures she commands!
Geomancy gives magic-users access to the power of ley lines, dowsing, and the innate magic of locations to enhance their mystic abilities -- sometimes beyond their own control -- or even to create fearsome zones of antimagic.
Herbalism is the craft of the Wylderwitch and the Grand Herbalist -- the plants of the field become healing poultices and powders, magical concoctions that can extend or shorten life, or even Verdex that "bind" spells for later use.
Occult Lore features Baird's Botanical, an extensive appendix describing twenty mundane and magical plants and the concoctions Herbalists can distill from them.
Magical Imagination gives Heraldic Wanderers the ability to construct fabulous Memory Palaces from shadow and illusion.
Oneiromancy grants access to the dream worlds where id-hounds roam, Lucid Dreamers manipulate dream reality to fit their own deepest desires, and secret knowledge or transient magic items are the treasures of a sleeping mind.
Rational Magic lets science and Logic displace the power of magic. Rationalists strip targets of their spells and special abilities with well-reasoned argument, and even cancel the effects of magical weapons and armor.
Spirit Cultivation is the Gleaner's art of capturing the fleeting remnants of a soul, and slowly teaching it the ways of power. Gleaners nuture these souls first in a cloak of remnants, then transfer them into reliquaries to invoke the skills and spells of the spirit, and finally use focal charms to control spirits with the power of the gods themselves!
Sympathetic Magic uses ritual points to toss spells across continents -- all a Mage needs is a lock of hair to curse an enemy for a lifetime!
Index
Example Concoctions
Herbs
Atlas Games Page
Again, you'll have to throw out the the stuff that is "too D&D-ish", but, thankfully, there isn't much of that.
I got this book for $15 bucks, which is about what you will pay for it brand new at Amazon with shipping ($9.99 + shipping). I see there's a used copy on eBay right now for $5 bucks.
There was one other Penumbra book I looked at for a long time. It was on Cults. But, I felt it was too D&D for use in a Conan game, so I skipped it.
First up is a book of monsters. Yes, we have the Bestiary, and I like it. But, you can never have too many monsters to throw at your players, right?
And, the monsters in Conan have a certain feel. Your typical D&D fair just won't do.
So, I suggest this book: The Book of Fiends
This looks to be an outstanding book. Devils, demons, daemons, outsiders...this is very good stuff. Dark. Would fit in the Hyborian Age easily. There's a few things, as with any d20 product, that you'll have to ignore, but, for the most part, this looks to be a magnificent, very Conan, book o' beasties.
Mine's brand new. I got it for $17 bucks. I know you can get it at lulu.com, through Green Ronin, and at DriveThruRPG.com. That $149.99 that Amazon lists is crazy, although I do see from google that I got a heck of a bargain for a brand new book.
What Green Ronin says...
Devils, demons, and daemons--these are the ultimate servants of evil. Learn all their foul secrets in the Book of Fiends, the definitive sourcebook on these fell creatures. This tome collects Green Ronin's critically acclaimed Legions of Hell and Armies of the Abyss sourcebooks and combines them with the long awaited treatment of daemons, Hordes of Gehenna. All the fiends have been updated to the 3.5 rules, and the material on demons and devils has been revised and expanded. Details on the plane of Gehenna, its rulers, and inhabitants are also revealed for the first time. The Book of Fiends is jam-packed with evil for your campaign, including:
•Over 130 daemons, devils, demons, and other creatures of the Lower Planes, illustrated and with complete 3.5 stats.
•Monsters with CRs from 1/2 to 40; there are foes for characters of all levels.
•Brand new devils and demons that add to the classic fiends of Legions of Hell and Armies of the Abyss.
•Two core classes, the black-hearted Thaumaturge and the dreaded Unholy Warrior, complete with Epic-level progressions.
•Info on the celestial choirs and the fallen angels.
•Inspired illustrations by top artists like Sam Wood, Raven Mimura, Dennis Detwiller, Toren Atkinson, and Brian Despain.
•Details on the nine Lords of Hell, the seven Exarchs of Gehenna, and a plethora of Demon Princes.
•4 infernal prestige classes for servants of Hell.
•A handy index by Challenge Rating.
•A bonus appendix by Enkwell Press detailing two cities of the Lower Planes.
•Ties to other popular Green Ronin products, such as the Book of the Righteous, the Avatar's Handbook, and the Unholy Warrior's Handbook.
The Book of Fiends provides profoundly evil foes your players will never forget.
Sample
Another Sample
The second one I picked up is perfect for detailing your Scholar characters in the Conan RPG. It's called Occult Lore, part of the Penumbra series by Atlast games.
This is a fan-tas-tic boook, toooo!
Here's what Atlas Says about it:
Occult Lore
All the myriad secrets of magic ...
Wizards study their academic magics in great halls of learning; sorcerers discover their spells through innate talent; clerics call upon the gods for a share of divine favor. But what of those magic-users who delve into the less well-charted realms of the mystic traditions? What of those who tap into the power of the heavenly spheres, or use the secret essences of the plant or mineral kingdoms to distill potent magical concoctions? Those whose gift lies in drawing spirits or elemental forces to do their bidding, or who can explore the twisting paths of a dreamer's mind? What of those whose very presence tampers with the familiar magic of arcane and divine spellcasters?
All these find their place in Occult Lore.
Occult Lore is the definitive tome of alternate OGL magic systems. This 240-page hardcover tome contains new spells, magic items, creatures, PC and NPC classes, prestige classes, domains, and in-depth rules for ten new magic traditions:
Alchemy allows the Arcane Healer to tend to his patients in the absence of a Cleric, and the Grand Alchemist to pursue the immortality granted by just a drop of pure philosopher's gold.
Astrology places the wisdom of the stars into the hands of mortals; horoscopes can predict a character's future, the most auspicious time to explore a dungeon, or let an Astrologer control the subject of a nativity from afar.
Solar Hierophants embody the sun itself, becoming celestial creatures, while Lunar Mystagogues become the masters of magical secrecy, exerting their dark power over creatures of the earth and underworld.
Elementalism turns the forces of air, earth, fire, and water to the will of the spellcaster, until the Elementalist tranforms herself into one of the elemental creatures she commands!
Geomancy gives magic-users access to the power of ley lines, dowsing, and the innate magic of locations to enhance their mystic abilities -- sometimes beyond their own control -- or even to create fearsome zones of antimagic.
Herbalism is the craft of the Wylderwitch and the Grand Herbalist -- the plants of the field become healing poultices and powders, magical concoctions that can extend or shorten life, or even Verdex that "bind" spells for later use.
Occult Lore features Baird's Botanical, an extensive appendix describing twenty mundane and magical plants and the concoctions Herbalists can distill from them.
Magical Imagination gives Heraldic Wanderers the ability to construct fabulous Memory Palaces from shadow and illusion.
Oneiromancy grants access to the dream worlds where id-hounds roam, Lucid Dreamers manipulate dream reality to fit their own deepest desires, and secret knowledge or transient magic items are the treasures of a sleeping mind.
Rational Magic lets science and Logic displace the power of magic. Rationalists strip targets of their spells and special abilities with well-reasoned argument, and even cancel the effects of magical weapons and armor.
Spirit Cultivation is the Gleaner's art of capturing the fleeting remnants of a soul, and slowly teaching it the ways of power. Gleaners nuture these souls first in a cloak of remnants, then transfer them into reliquaries to invoke the skills and spells of the spirit, and finally use focal charms to control spirits with the power of the gods themselves!
Sympathetic Magic uses ritual points to toss spells across continents -- all a Mage needs is a lock of hair to curse an enemy for a lifetime!
Index
Example Concoctions
Herbs
Atlas Games Page
Again, you'll have to throw out the the stuff that is "too D&D-ish", but, thankfully, there isn't much of that.
I got this book for $15 bucks, which is about what you will pay for it brand new at Amazon with shipping ($9.99 + shipping). I see there's a used copy on eBay right now for $5 bucks.
There was one other Penumbra book I looked at for a long time. It was on Cults. But, I felt it was too D&D for use in a Conan game, so I skipped it.
