Cult of Yajur

[sgstyrsky]

Hey All,

Can anyone tell me if Faith and Fervor contains information on the cult of Yajur? I'm particularly interested in the cult's stranglers.

Thanks!

 

[VincentDarlage]

Yajur is covered in Scrolls of Skelos, IIRC. I don't think I gave anything more than a paragraph regarding him in Faith & Fervour.

Here is a sample priest that was edited from Faith & Fervour, though.

Priest of Yajur
High Priest: Medium Humanoid Kosalan**** Scholar 16; Hit Dice: 10d6+6+30 (71 hp); Initiative: +6 (+1 Dex, +5 Reflex save); Speed: 30 ft.; Dodge Defence: 17 (+6 level, +1 Dex); Parry Defence: 22 (+6 level, +6 Str); DR: – ; Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +12/+18; Attack: Unarmed Strike +18 melee; Full Attack: Unarmed Strike +18/+13/+8 melee; Damage: Unarmed Strike 1d6+6 /19-20 x2; Special Attacks: Sorcery; Special Qualities: Kosalan traits, scholar, background (lay priest), base power points, knowledge is power; Space/Reach: 5 ft. (1)/5 ft. (1); Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +14; Abilities: Str 22, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 16; Skills***: Bluff +11, Concentration +22, Escape Artist +9, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (geography) +20, Knowledge (religion) +20, Perform (ritual) +22, Profession (strangler) +22, Sleight-of-Hand +20, Tumble +8; Feats: Adept (hypnotism)*, Bleed Dry, Brawl*, Crushing Grip, Improved Critical (unarmed strike)*, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Iron Will, Power Attack, Priest, Ritual Sacrifice, Stunning Attack, Tortured Sacrifice; Reputation: 19 (Cruel) (He may add a +3 bonus to his Bluff and Intimidate checks); Leadership: – ; Code of Honour: None; Allegiances: Any; Base Power Points: 10 (4 base, +2 Wis, +4 power points); 40 maximum; Magical Attack: +11 (+8 base, +3 Cha); Sorcery Styles: Hypnotism, Prestidigitation, Oriental Magic; Spells Known: Entrance, illusion**, burst barrier, calm of the adept, conjuring, darting serpent, dread serpent, greater telekinesis, hypnotic suggestion, mass hypnotic suggestion, ranged hypnotic suggestion, savage beast, telekinesis, warrior trance ; Corruption: 7 (arms are a little longer than usual); Insanity: None; Possessions: Loin-cloth, sandals;
* = bonus feat taken in lieu of a new sorcery style.
** = spell from Conan: The Scrolls of Skelos.
*** = He chose to gain +8 skill points instead of four advanced spells
**** = Kosalans use the Vendhyan racial template, except that Scholar is a favoured class.

If there is anything specific you are wanting to know, I am sure I can come up with something.

 

[sgstyrsky]

Thanks, Vincent.

I had no questions in particular. I'd like to use Yajur and its stranglers in my game at some point and was just wondering if the cult had been described in detail in a book. I can probably wait for Scrolls to come out. Let's hope its pretty soon.

 

[sgstyrsky]

If there is anything specific you are wanting to know, I am sure I can come up with something.

Actually, there is one thing I do want to know. Would you say Baal-Pteor could employ magic on his own or was he empowered through an item or his priest-owner?


Also, I'll definitely use this priest. Thanks again.

 

[VincentDarlage]

Baal-Pteor, The Strangler of Yota Pong

This man was naked except for a loin cloth and high-strapped sandals. He was brown-skinned, with close-cropped black hair and restless black eyes that set off a broad, arrogant face. In girth and breadth he was enormous, with huge limbs on which the great muscles swelled and rippled at each slightest movement. His hands were the largest Conan had ever seen. The assurance of gigantic physical strength coloured his every action and inflection.

Robert E. Howard, Man-Eaters of Zamboula

Medium Humanoid (Kosalan Scholar 16)
Hit Dice: 10d6+6+30 (71 hp)
Initiative: +6 (+1 Dex, +5 Reflex save)
Speed: 30 ft.
Dodge: 17 (+6 level, +1 Dex)
Parry: 22 (+6 level, +6 Str)
DR: –
Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +12/+18
Attack: Unarmed Strike +18 melee
Full Attack: Unarmed Strike +18/+13/+8 melee
Damage: Unarmed Strike 1d6+6 /19-20 x2
Special Attacks: Sorcery
Special Qualities: Kosalan traits, scholar, background (lay priest), base power points, knowledge is power
Space/Reach: 5 ft. (1)/5 ft. (1)
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +14
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 16
Skills***: Bluff +11, Concentration +22, Escape Artist +9, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (geography) +20, Knowledge (religion) +20, Perform (ritual) +22, Profession (strangler) +22, Sleight-of-Hand +20, Tumble +8
Feats: Adept (hypnotism)*, Brawl*, Crushing Grip, Improved Critical (unarmed strike)*, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Iron Will, Power Attack, Ritual Sacrifice, Stunning Attack
Reputation: 19 (Cruel) (He may add a +3 bonus to his Bluff and Intimidate checks)
Leadership: –
Code of Honour: None
Allegiances: Totrasmek
Base Power Points: 10 (4 base, +2 Wis, +4 power points); 40 maximum
Magical Attack: +11 (+8 base, +3 Cha)
Sorcery Styles: Hypnotism, Prestidigitation, Oriental Magic
Spells Known: Entrance, illusion**, burst barrier, calm of the adept, conjuring, darting serpent, dread serpent, greater telekinesis, hypnotic suggestion, mass hypnotic suggestion, ranged hypnotic suggestion, savage beast, telekinesis, warrior trance
Corruption: 7 (arms are a little longer than usual)
Insanity: None
Possessions: Loin-cloth, sandals
* = bonus feat taken in lieu of a new sorcery style.
** = spell from Conan: The Scrolls of Skelos.
*** = He chose to gain +8 skill points instead of four advanced spells

Baal-pteor was chosen by the priests of Yajur in his infancy, and throughout childhood, boyhood and youth he was trained in the art of slaying with the naked hands -- for only thus are the sacrifices to Yajur enacted. When he was a child they gave him infants to throttle; when he was a boy he strangled young girls; as a youth, women, old men, and young boys. Not until Baal-pteor reached his full manhood was he given a strong man to slay on the altar of Yota-pong. He strangled hundreds of victims. He was stronger than any other strangler of Yota-pong, an Eastern land, where men are, on average, a bit weaker than in the West, as Conan proved to him. He fled from Yota-pong to become Totrasmek's servant for reasons unknown. He had a different name in Yajur; Totrasmek named him Baal-pteor because the Kosalan has an overly large penis, much as the god is displayed as having in Shem.

Slightly taller than Conan and much heavier, Baal-pteor presents a looming presence, a daunting image of muscular development. His mighty arms are unnaturally long, and his great hands open and close, twitching convulsively, when he prepares for combat.

Baal-Pteor is a master mesmerist, a scholar. He manifests illusions to confuse and demoralise his enemies (see Conan: The Scrolls of Skelos for the Illusion spell). Baal-Pteor mostly uses his mesmerisms to toy with his victims. To actually kill them he strangles them with his bare hands (see the Choke combat manoeuvre in Conan: Hyboria's Fiercest). He has a large metallic table that is magnetised. He tricks warriors into attacking something on this table so that their weapons are stuck fast. The Strength check DC to lift a metal object off of this table is 35.

Baal-pteor is intuitive and mystical. He adapts readily to changing situations and is imaginative. He can also be impractical and tends to overindulge. He has a penchant for choosing the wrong friends. His life tends to become so punctuated with trouble that he often has to flee. He is loyal, unselfish and generous, but he always looks for the easy way. He tends to be envious, gluttonous and slothful. He is not particularly persistent in pursuit of anything and would just rather be told what to do. His lack of steadfastness is why he only bothered to learn three sorcery styles instead of six and why he hasn't learned all the spells he could have. His specialty, though, outside of strangling people, is illusion.

 

[sgstyrsky]

Awesome.

 

[librarycharlie]

This gentleman shall be introduced to my campaign in short order to teach humility to the PCs.

 

[Hervé]

Baal-Pteor himself! Way cool, Vincent!

 

[rabindranath72]

Why is he a scholar? It is long since I read the tale, I cannot remember he casting spells of any type.
I mean, he uses a sphere, which possibly is a magic or alchemic item.
When I statted him for AD&D, I simply made him a monster with a constriction special ability, and granted him the use of the magic item (cannot recall which one I used) (*must dig out the notes*)

Cheers,
Antonio

 

[Hervé]

Why is he a scholar?

Baal Pteor mesmerizes his foes before striking, hence the Hypnosis Sorcery Style. Oriental magic (along with the unarmed combat feats) is the closest thing to martial arts in the Conan RPG... So it seems quite logical for him to have some scholar levels.

 

[VincentDarlage]

Why is he a scholar? It is long since I read the tale, I cannot remember he casting spells of any type.
I mean, he uses a sphere, which possibly is a magic or alchemic item.
When I statted him for AD&D, I simply made him a monster with a constriction special ability, and granted him the use of the magic item (cannot recall which one I used) (*must dig out the notes*)

Cheers,
Antonio

Why not a scholar? He is, after all, a priest. I take the sphere he threw to be an illusion, not an actual object (I didn't get the sense that it released a drug, and Conan actually calls it mesmerism). Certainly, he cast other illusions as well. When reading the tale, I never got the sense that Baal-Pteor was just some brute, but a well-spoken, educated strong-man. As a priest, he was likely well-educated. Howard also describes him as "inhuman" at one point, an indication of Corruption (or so I took it in game terms).

In the end, any game stats for a character whose author did not write the stats is going to just be an opinion. The above stats reflect my opinion. It would be interesting to see other stats and other opinions of the same character(s). One can compare my opinion of King Conan's stats in Aquilonia to Ian Sturrock's opinion in ROK, likewise my opinion on Thoth-amon in Stygia vs. Ian's opinion in Scrolls of Skelos.

In the end, my opinion really isn't any more valid than someone elses. Personally, I'd be interested in seeing how you would stat Baal-pteor. Perhaps I have missed a vital clue (wouldn't be the first time). Certainly a claim that the sphere was a magic object (instead of just the magical effect of a spell) would be just as valid as my claim.

 

[sgstyrsky]

Howard also describes him as "inhuman" at one point, an indication of Corruption (or so I took it in game terms).

Thanks for the insight into your thought processes. From a few simple words of the text you constructed an interesting and unique character.

 

[rabindranath72]

Why is he a scholar? It is long since I read the tale, I cannot remember he casting spells of any type.
I mean, he uses a sphere, which possibly is a magic or alchemic item.
When I statted him for AD&D, I simply made him a monster with a constriction special ability, and granted him the use of the magic item (cannot recall which one I used) (*must dig out the notes*)

Cheers,
Antonio

Why not a scholar? He is, after all, a priest. I take the sphere he threw to be an illusion, not an actual object (I didn't get the sense that it released a drug, and Conan actually calls it mesmerism). Certainly, he cast other illusions as well. When reading the tale, I never got the sense that Baal-Pteor was just some brute, but a well-spoken, educated strong-man. As a priest, he was likely well-educated. Howard also describes him as "inhuman" at one point, an indication of Corruption (or so I took it in game terms).

In the end, any game stats for a character whose author did not write the stats is going to just be an opinion. The above stats reflect my opinion. It would be interesting to see other stats and other opinions of the same character(s). One can compare my opinion of King Conan's stats in Aquilonia to Ian Sturrock's opinion in ROK, likewise my opinion on Thoth-amon in Stygia vs. Ian's opinion in Scrolls of Skelos.

In the end, my opinion really isn't any more valid than someone elses. Personally, I'd be interested in seeing how you would stat Baal-pteor. Perhaps I have missed a vital clue (wouldn't be the first time). Certainly a claim that the sphere was a magic object (instead of just the magical effect of a spell) would be just as valid as my claim.

Thanks for the insights!
Actually, I was not implying that he was not a scholar, but my strong impression is that he was simply a "strong arm", and a lay priest (in d20 Conan terms).
When coming to game systems, I tend to think "out of the box"; that's why I prefer less coded game systems than d20.
In AD&D, as I said, I statted him as a monster with a special ability, and a magic/alchemic item. The character description was simply "fluff", his long arms simply enabling him to perform his "constriction" attack.
If I find the stats, I will post them; but they were more or less along the lines of:
Baal-pteor AC8, HD 8, MV 9", HP 50, constriction attack (as pyton), Intelligence: very. Can use a magic item which casts a powerful illusion (save vs. spells to avoid).

That's all.

 

[Hervé]

We can again see the d20 system in all its perfection: rabindranath72 stats take less than one line, the d20 stats take more than thirty! And there are still people to pretend that OGL is a good system...

 

[rabindranath72]

We can again see the d20 system in all its perfection: rabindranath72 stats take less than one line, the d20 stats take more than thirty! And there are still people to pretend that OGL is a good system...

I guess what d20 lacks most is effect-based design. If you need a creature with a specific purpose, it is useless to design all other parts which will never get any use.

 

[thulsa]

We can again see the d20 system in all its perfection: rabindranath72 stats take less than one line, the d20 stats take more than thirty! And there are still people to pretend that OGL is a good system...

Well, to be fair, the d20 stat block does include information that may be useful in a number of situations. The 1E/2E stat block can be a bit too simplistic at times.

Plus, the format used by Vincent above is the "long" format (and several lines are taken up by spells, which are not included in rabindranath72's version); if you are concerned about the number of lines (ie. space used), you can compress it into something like this:

Buck Bigbeard: male dwarf Ftr2, Rgr5, Def1; CR 8; Medium-size Humanoid (dwarf); HD 7d10+1d12+27; hp 76; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 15 ft; AC 28 (+11 full plate, +1 ring of protection, +4 large steel shield, +1 Dex, +1 dodge); Atks +13/+8 melee (1d8+5/crit x3, +2 warhammer); SA defensive stance, favored enemies; SQ dwarven traits; AL LN; SV Fort +12, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 17, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 8.

Skills and Feats: Hide +4, Listen +9, Ride +11, Spot +8, Wilderness Lore +7; Cleave, Dodge, Endurance, Power Attack, Toughness, Track.

- thulsa

 

[sgstyrsky]

Well, to be fair, the d20 stat block does include information that may be useful in a number of situations. The 1E/2E stat block can be a bit too simplistic at times.

Plus, the format used by Vincent above is the "long" format (and several lines are taken up by spells, which are not included in rabindranath72's version); if you are concerned about the number of lines (ie. space used), you can compress it into something like this:

Buck Bigbeard: male dwarf Ftr2, Rgr5, Def1; CR 8; Medium-size Humanoid (dwarf); HD 7d10+1d12+27; hp 76; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 15 ft; AC 28 (+11 full plate, +1 ring of protection, +4 large steel shield, +1 Dex, +1 dodge); Atks +13/+8 melee (1d8+5/crit x3, +2 warhammer); SA defensive stance, favored enemies; SQ dwarven traits; AL LN; SV Fort +12, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 17, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 8.

Skills and Feats: Hide +4, Listen +9, Ride +11, Spot +8, Wilderness Lore +7; Cleave, Dodge, Endurance, Power Attack, Toughness, Track.

- thulsa

I hate the early d20 stat blocks. They are unreadable, especially for high-level villains and monsters, and when the DM is in the heat of combat.

But I agree that the AD&D stat blocks can be too simplistic and not list the full range of a creature's powers.

If someone is worried about a stat block being too long they should just drop stuff from it. A sorcerer is only going to get about four spells off before he's dead, so give him the four you know he will cast in combat.

Appropriate to the situation, assign skill ranks to skills that the monster/ bad guy will use. If there are no horses nearby forget about ranks in Ride.

 

[Hervé]

Ok boys. I apologize. But I just caught this anti D20 sickness and I just can't get rid of it! I guess it will pass with time...
I have to agree that 2nd Ed stat blocks are much more readable than ever before. The stats of Buck the dwarf are just unreadable for me...

If someone is worried about a stat block being too long they should just drop stuff from it. A sorcerer is only going to get about four spells off before he's dead, so give him the four you know he will cast in combat.
Appropriate to the situation, assign skill ranks to skills that the monster/ bad guy will use. If there are no horses nearby forget about ranks in Ride.

This matter has already been discussed in an older thread: What's the point in having a quite complex, accurate and technical system if characters and NPCs are not created using the same rules? Everyone is more or less "improvising" NPCs rather than create them by the book. For me brings to light a major flaw in the game (Feats being another one)...

 

[Majestic7]

What comes to Cult of Yajur itself, I turned it a little bit towards Hashshashin, a historical cult of murderers. My player characters faced stranglers sent after them and managed to best them, earning thus right to buy services of the cult themselves. Two of the assassins were martial disciplines (yes, the class is a bit outpowered, but they were fine as mysterious eastern killers) and the rest various combinations of barbarian, scholar and thief. I think it was nice and atmospheric, while being certainly within plausibility as Howard himself never explains how the strangler Conan faces ended up in the service of a priest of Hanuman.

I can dig up and post here the three killers I made if someone is interested.

 

[sgstyrsky]

I think it was nice and atmospheric, while being certainly within plausibility as Howard himself never explains how the strangler Conan faces ended up in the service of a priest of Hanuman.

I bet Vincent has come up with a good story.

I can dig up and post here the three killers I made if someone is interested.

I'm interested. Please post them.