GM'S GUIDE TO CREATING HYBORIAN AGE ADVENTURES

[Iron_Chef]

THE BANDIT

Adventures: Bandits are raiders, ambushing unwary travelers and demanding payment for safe passage. A bandit’s life is a wild and free one, but often short and violent. Bandits recognize no authority other than that of their leader, and only then so long as he is the strongest and smartest among them and provides them with rich plunder.

Characteristics: The bandit is, by necessity, a fast and agile fighter, adept at laying ambushes and bullying victims into surrendering their valuables. A bandit relies on a quick, frenzied strike to bring down the most powerful foes among his targets before they have a chance to counterattack. This is all the better to terrorize and demoralize any other resistance among his victims.

Religion: Bandits often swear by Bel, God of Thieves, while others hold to the gods of their homeland.

Background: Many bandits are deserters from shattered armies, down on their luck mercenaries, or criminals forced to flee into the wilderness. Bandits stick near established roadways likely to see rich caravan trade, and the Road of Kings is the most tempting of these targets, particularly the farther east one travels. The Zamoran forests and Eastern Desert near Turan are filled with bandits, as are rich nations suffering under civil war and rebellion, such as Corinthia, Koth and Ophir.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Abilities: A bandit’s quick-moving combat style relies on Dexterity in battle first and foremost, then on Strength and Constitution to help him win through tougher opponents, and finally on Charisma to avoid unnecessary fights altogether. A high Wisdom also benefits several of his skills.

Hit Die: d8

CLASS SKILLS
The bandit’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (any mundane) (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Geography) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis) Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: A bandit is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, two weapon combat, light armour and shields. Note that armour check penalties for wearing medium or heavy armour apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight-of-Hand, and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a –1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armour and equipment carried.

Bonus Feat: At 1st level, the bandit may select a bonus feat from among the following: Alertness, Armoured Stealth, Athletic, Brawl, Carouser, Dodge, Far Shot, Fleet-Footed, Improved Precise Shot, Light-Footed, Negotiator, No Honour, Parry, Persuasive, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Shot, Run, Self-Sufficient, Sleep Mastery, Stealthy, Toughness. The bandit may choose another bonus feat from this list at 10th, 14th, 16th and 20th level.

Favoured Terrain: At 1st level a bandit gains a favoured terrain type from among the following: Desert, Forest, Hills, Mountains, Plains, Swamp or Tundra. At 7th, 13th and 19th level, he may choose an additional favoured terrain. All the benefits derived from favoured terrain are extraordinary abilities.

Any time a bandit is in one of his favoured terrains and wearing at most light armour, he gains certain benefits as follows:

+1 circumstance bonus to all Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Spot and Survival checks.

+1 Dodge bonus to DV. The bandit is adept at using the natural features of the terrain to his advantage in combat.

At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, the bandit’s favoured terrain bonus increases by +1. His second favoured terrain bonus increases by +1 at 12th and 17th levels, and his third favoured terrain bonus increases by +1 at 19th level.

The bandit gains aditional benefits as his favoured terrain bonuses increase. If he has a favoured terrain bonus of at least +2 for the terrain he is in, he gains a +10 feet circumstance bonus to his movement.

If he has a favoured terrain bonus of at least +3 for the terrain he is in, he may use the Hide skill even if the terrain does not usually grant cover or concealment. If he has a favoured terrain of at least +4 for the terrain he is in, his movement bonus within that terrain is increased by +20 feet. If he has a favoured terrain bonus of at least +5 for the terrain he is in, he can use the Hide skill while being observed.

Bandit Style: At 2nd level, the bandit may select a bandit style from among the following: archery, intimidation, melee, or trickery. This is an extraordinary ability.

If he selects archery, he is treated as having the Rapid Shot feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for that feat.

If he selects intimidation, he gains Improved Intimidation, which grants him a +4 competence bonus to his Intimidation skill.

If he selects melee, he is treated as having the Armoured Stealth feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for that feat.

If he selects trickery, he gains Improved Bluff, which grants him a +4 competence bonus to his Bluff skill in or out of combat.

In any case, the bandit only gains the benefits of the style when wearing at most light armour.

Sneak Attack: From 3rd level onwards, any time a bandits target would be denied dodge or parry bonus to Defense Value (whether the target actually has a dodge bonus or not), or when the bandit flanks the target, the bandit’s attack deals extra damage. The extra damage is +1d6 at 3rd level and an additional 1d6 every three levels thereafter. Should the bandit score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

Ranged attacks can only count as sneak attacks if the target is within 30 feet. The bandit cannot strike with deadly accuracy beyond that range.

With a sap or unarmed strike, the bandit can make a sneak attack that deals subdual damage instead of normal damage. The bandit cannot use a weapon that deals normal damage to deal subdual damage in a sneak attack, even with the usual –4 penalty (except see the Sneak Subdual class feature, below).

A bandit can only sneak attack a living crature with discernible anatomy. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is also not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The bandit must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach a vital spot. The bandit cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Sneak Subdual: At 3rd level, the bandit gains the Sneak Subdual feat for free. This is an extraordinary ability.

Improved Bandit Style: At 5th level, the bandit improves his knowledge of the bandit style he previously selected at 2nd level. This is an extraordinary ability.

If he selected archery, his ability to make ranged sneak attacks is extended to 60 feet.

If he selected intimidation, he is treated as having the Steely Gaze feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for that feat.

If he selected melee, he is treated as having the Parry feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for that feat. If he already has the Parry feat, he instead gains the Dodge feat.

If he selected trickery, he is treated as having the Striking Cobra feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for that feat.

In any case, the bandit only gains the benefits of the style when wearing at most light armour.

Mobility: From 5th level onwards the bandit gets a +4 dodge bonus to Defence Value against attacks of opportunity caused when he moves out of or within a threatened area. If the bandit already has Mobility from some other source (such as from already being a 5th level nomad) he instead gains Improved Mobility (see below). Note that mobility does not apply if the bandit is mounted.

Improved Mobility: From 10th level onwards the bandit never provokes attacks of opportunity, whatever he does, so long as he moves at least 10 feet during that combat round. If the bandit somehow already has Improved Mobility (such as for already having had Mobility from another source before reaching 5th levek, and so gaining Improved Mobility at 5th level instead of Mobility) he instead gains Greater Mobility (see below). Note that Improved Mobility does not apply if the bandit is mounted. This is an extraordinary ability.

Bandit Style Mastery: At 11th level, the bandit achieves the pinnacle of his bandit style he previously selected at 2nd level. This is an extraordinary ability.

If he selected archery, he is treated as having the Improved Precise Shot feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for that feat.

If he selected intimidation, he is treated as having the Menacing Aura feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for that feat.

If he selected melee, he is treated as having the Reflexive Parry feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for that feat.

If he selected trickery, he is treated as having an improved version of the Light-Footed feat (which allows him to retain the benefits of the feat even while wearing light armour) even if he does not meet the prerequisites for that feat.

In any case, the bandit only gains the benefits of the style when wearing at most light armour.

Human Compass: At 11th level, the bandit gains the ability to automatically know where he is on land, even in the middle of nowhere. He has a detailed mental map of all the lands he has visited and how to get there from where he is now. This is an extraordinary ability.

Greater Mobility: From 15th level onwards the bandit may move up to his speed as part of a full attack action, rather than merely taking a five-foot step. He may move and attack in any order, so he might for example move five feet, attack once, move fifteen feet, attack twice more, and then move again for the remaining ten feet of his movement. Note that Greater Mobility does not aply if the bandit is mounted or is wearing heavy armour. This is an extraordinary ability.


Table 1-1: The Bandit
Base Attack, Base Dodge Bonus, Base Parry Bonus, Magic Attack Bonus, Fort/Ref/Will Saves all as per the Borderer.


1 Bonus Feat, Favoured Terrain +1
2 Bandit Style
3 Sneak Attack +1d6, Sneak Subdual
4 Favoured Terrain +2
5 Improved Bandit Style, Mobility
6 Sneak Attack +2d6
7 Second Favoured Terrain +1
8 Favoured Terrain +3
9 Sneak Attack +3d6
10 Bonus feat, Improved Mobility
11 Bandit Style Mastery, Human Compass
12 Second Favoured Terrain +2, Favoured Terrain +4, Sneak Attack +4d6
13 Third Favoured Terrain +1
14 Bonus feat
15 Greater Mobility, Sneak Attack +5d6
16 Bonus feat
17 Favoured Terrain +5
18 Second Favoured Terrain +3, Sneak Attack +6d6
19 Third Favoured Terrain +2, Fourth Favoured Terrain +1
20 Bonus feat, Favoured Terrain +6

EDIT: This is the completely revised, final version of the Bandit Class, replacing my previous post in this slot.

 

[Iron_Chef]

Masterwork weapons were cut from Conan in favor of Akbitanan weapons. However, I still feel there is a place for masterwork weapons, while still keeping Akbitanan as clearly superior (only Akbitanan weapons gain +2 AP, 1.5 x hardness and double hit points). Placing masterwork weapons back in should really help the GM hand out fun treasure as well as toughening up NPCs without turning their death into a huge jackpot for PCs. It just doesn't make sense to me for so many people to have Akbitanan weapons everywhere you go.


MASTERWORK WEAPONS
A masterwork weapon grants the wielder a +1 bonus to attack rolls and costs three times as much as a normal version of the weapon (minimum 30 sp).

MASTERWORK WEAPONS BY RACE:
Bossonian: Bossonian longbow
Darfari: All clubs
Ghanata: Ghanata knife
Gunderman: Pike
Hyborian: All Maces, Lances, Polearms, Swords, Warhammers
Hyrkanian: Hyrkanian bow
Kothian: Greatsword
Kush: All Spears
Nordheimir: All Axes and Swords (except scimitar and tulwar), War Maul
Picts: All Primitive weapons
Shemite: All swords, Shemite bow
Souther Islander or Souther Black Kingdoms: Spear
Stygian: Khopesh, Stygian bow, Short sword, Whip
Turanian: Hyrkanian bow, Scimitar, Tulwar, Whip
Vendhyan: Light lance, Tulwar
Yuetshi: Yuetshi knife
Zamorian: All Daggers, Knives, Stilettos
Zingaran: Arming Sword, Broadsword

In addition to being of the correct race, the creator must also have a minimum 8 ranks in Craft (Weaponsmith).

The Khopesh sword is not yet in the rules, but can be seen on the Road Of Kings cover; it is a hooked egyptian sword. The war maul (Thorgrim's hammer from CtB) is here:

War Maul (Large Exotic Melee): The war maul is a five foot warhammer that is too heavy to use for an untrained Medium creature, even with two hands. In fact, a creature must have a minimum Strength score of 17 to even wield one effectively at all. A Medium creature with the Exotic Weapon Proficiency and Strength 17+ can wield the war maul with two hands. A Large creature can use a war maul with two hands as a martial weapon, or with one hand as an exotic weapon. A Large creature without the Exotic Weapon Proficiency who uses the war maul in one hand suffers the standard -4 penalty to its attack rolls.

War Maul: 100 sp, 2d8/x3, AP 7, 30 lb., Hardness 8, Hit Points 10, Bludgeoning, Reach: 5 ft.

 

[Iron_Chef]

Ties
Adapted from OGL Horror for use with Conan by Hyena
Reposted here by Hyena's kind permission

Ties are one of these nifty role-playing mechanics that made me buy OGL Horror last February. I think they are a great incentive for players to go beyond the classic 'boundless wanderer' style and define things they really care/stand for. I intend to use them instead of allegiances.

A quick reminder for those not owning the OGL Horror book : each players gets 5 Permanent Ties to allocate between things his PC holds dear. The objects of these Ties may be persons, locations, causes, etc. but must be external elements the GM can threaten. A PC may allocate more than one Tie to a particular object. If the object of his Tie(s) is threatened, the PC get 1d10 per Tie per adventure to add to any attack roll, damage roll, skill check made while defending it. PCs have also 1 Temporay Tie representing the character's current goal. While originally designed for horror gaming, I thing Ties would be appropriate in Conan. After all, we all can imagine Conan going ballistic when Belit's life is threatened. I do not say they could be used as they are in Conan, though. I'm going to use this modifications :

Allocation. Players are not required to allocate Permanent Ties at character creation, they can do it during the game.
Severance. Players may 'sever' a Permanent Tie at will : the character is changing his priorities. But the severed Permanent Tie won't be back for reallocation before a year after severance, and a character won't get more than one Tie/year back.
Failure. If the character fail to protect the object of a Permanent Tie(s), the Tie(s) is severed and the character suffer a Curse-like penalty until he gets back the Tie. For instance, if the character fails to prevent his 3-Ties beloved from being killed, he'll be suffering from a -3 curse during the next year, a -2 curse during the following year and a -1 curse during the third year. A character can alleviate or eliminate this penalty by taking appropriate actions : bloody vengeance, swift justice, penance etc.
Sorcerers may trigger the Rule of Obsession by allocating permanent Ties. Scholars level 1-4 allocating more than 4 Ties are considered as sufferring from Obsession, as are Scholars level 5-8 allocating more than 3 Permanent Ties, scholars level 8-12 allocating more than 2 and so on...
A character's Corruption score will be deducted from his number of Ties. Unallocated Ties go first. In the case of allocated Ties, the character is considered having voluntarily severed the Tie except he won't get it back before a year after he has reduced his corruption score.

The Temporary Tie will follow the same Allocation, Severance and Failure rules than the Permanent Ties, except the 'retention period' is only three monthes. Also, Temporary Ties like 'kill them all and take their stuff' will be actively discouraged.

 

[Yokiboy]

Here's my completed "bandit" class, something I felt was missing from the core rules, yet clearly presented over and over in the books.

I enjoy the Bandit class, and although the Nomad, Borderer and Thief can all fill the role of Bandits, I think it is a good addition to Conan the RPG. Have you thought at all about what races have Bandit as their Favored Class, or are Prohibited from taking it?

[Edited post as Iron_Chef changed the post I had commented on.]

TTFN,

Yokiboy

 

[Iron_Chef]

Yokiboy, that bandit class was the wrong one (original version). I dumped it in favor of a new Bandit, which I've posted above (replacing the old version you commented on).

 

[Yokiboy]

No sleep yet, but I'd drop the following skills: Swim, Use Rope, Knowledge (Geography). I don't see why they'd know how to swim as a class skill. Use Rope could possibly fit in, but I feel that is more for Thieves and Pirates, and I'd like something to differentiate them from Borderers. Knowledge (Geography) doesn't fit my image of a Bandit, although Knowledge (Local) does. Bandits certainly know what road's are heavily trafficed and where the good hideouts and ambush spots are, but not necessarily the geography of the lands.

I'd also get rid of the Human Compass class ability, I don't think it fits, and why would the Bandit be better at Geography than Borderers and Nomads?

In summary check out my version of Iron_Chef's Bandit class, The Brigand.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

 

[Iron_Chef]

I'd think someone who's spent 11 levels running around various lands (often in the middle of nowhere), a bandit would be able to find his way around pretty well. This is the quivalent of the pirate's 10th level ability at sea.

Bandits are usually lightly armored and would know how to swim in areas with rivers or lakes. Use Rope is good for securing captives (say, for ransom or slavery). Georgraphy presupposes the bandit must eventualy flee whatever area he started in and travel around, plying his dangerous trade in a variety of countries. Plus, he is likely to deal with a wide variety of victims from various countries whom he can probably gain a great deal of information from, situation permitting.

If one style has a mastery, they all must have a mastery, or it unfairly penalizes someone who chooses a different style.

 

[Yokiboy]

I'd think someone who's spent 11 levels running around various lands (often in the middle of nowhere), a bandit would be able to find his way around pretty well. This is the quivalent of the pirate's 10th level ability at sea.

Georgraphy presupposes the bandit must eventualy flee whatever area he started in and travel around, plying his dangerous trade in a variety of countries. Plus, he is likely to deal with a wide variety of victims from various countries whom he can probably gain a great deal of information from, situation permitting.

Hi IC, I'm still not in agreement, I buy the Knowledge (Local), but not Knowledge (Geography). I see Bandits as mostly local pests, perhaps moving on to another region once found out, but again mainly learning local customs and trade routes (more knowledge local), not so much focusing on the geography of the lands. I don't see them being too far from civilization, as that's their prey, and cannot see why they'd know exactly where they are if waking up in the midst of a jungle with no memory of how they got there.

I know that the Pirate has a similar ability to Human Compass, but in a sense it is much more limited, as it is only good while at sea. Plus you've given the Bandit Favored Terrain, which is a good trade-off IMO.

Bandits are usually lightly armored and would know how to swim in areas with rivers or lakes. Use Rope is good for securing captives (say, for ransom or slavery).

Lightly armored yes, preying on sea, ocean or river travelers no. I still don't think swim fits, as they've not ventured far out into the wilderness, and prey mostly on city folks and tradesmen travelling cross country. Funny thing about Swim, Commoners have it as a Class Skill, Nobles do not, and Soldiers apparently forget how to swim when the get conscripted.

Use Rope is certainly good for securing captives, but that's the only rope use I see a bandit getting into, and doesn't warrant the skill as a Class Skill IMO. Plus it is opposed by Escape Artist, which not very many Commoners are particularly skilled at (only Thieves and Pirates have it as a Class Skill).

If one style has a mastery, they all must have a mastery, or it unfairly penalizes someone who chooses a different style.

That wasn't what I meant, I only liked the Intimidation and Trickery Bandit Styles, and not the Archery and Melee ones. I edited my post to reflect this.

[EDIT]I have moved my comments to another thread and am happy to present The Brigand which can be used to create a band of Kozaki.[/EDIT]

And Iron_Chef, we might just have to agree to having different visions of bandits. :wink:

TTFN,

Yokiboy

 

[Iron_Chef]

MAKING COMBATS DEADLIER

Here's how you can KILL or MULTILATE a character of ANY LEVEL at ANY TIME by ANYBODY: Critical Effects (by weapon damage type), in addition to the regular crit multipliers. I've playtested them using Conan, they add a lot of fun and fear to every battle.

The tables include Critical Fumbles, too!

Note that these tables should work for any d20 or OGL game.

http://dndadventure.com/ftp/critical_hit_table_2e.zip

 

[Qjedi]

Hey, nice stuff!
It's going to be used in the games I run. I also have found it to be a good thing adapting adventures based around the conan comics. One issue generally results in a full night of gaming, sometimes more.
Has anyone else tried this? The comic works well in my group because all I have are old issues 100-200 some before, some after, but nobody in the group has read most of those.
Give it a try!

 

[Yokiboy]

Hey, nice stuff!
It's going to be used in the games I run. I also have found it to be a good thing adapting adventures based around the conan comics. One issue generally results in a full night of gaming, sometimes more.
Has anyone else tried this? The comic works well in my group because all I have are old issues 100-200 some before, some after, but nobody in the group has read most of those.
Give it a try!

Hey Qjedi, I agree with you, the old SSOC make great Conan the RPG adventures. I just have to pick up a lot more back issues, as I currently only have 24 of them.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

 

[Iron_Chef]

Just a friendly *bump* for the Conan newbies who may have missed this thread. Unfortunately, real life has intruded on my gaming the past few months (into the forseeable future), so I'm not adding to this thread as much as I intended. Feel free to post your own thoughts and ideas here for discussion. :wink:

 

[sanseveria]

That's too bad Chef, I had noticed you weren't around as much. Well good luck and god speed in whatever it is pulling you away.

SS

 

[Hollywood Hogan]

Just like to thank Chef for sharing his ideas and awesome work! Keep it up when you're able to. Later...

- Hollywood

 

[Anonymous]

This is good thread for the new players to look at.

 

[Iron_Chef]

Just like to thank Chef for sharing his ideas and awesome work! Keep it up when you're able to. Later...

- Hollywood

You're welcome! I'm glad to see that my work has been helpful to so many Conan gamers.

Real life has still kept me and my group from Conan or any other RPG for that matter... My last purchase was Scrolls of Skelos, which sadly saw no use before we quit. But we have been getting in a LOT boardgaming (as it requires no advance thought or extended commitment of time or resources): Axis & Allies (Revised), Memoir '44, Pirate's Cove, Risk 2210 A.D., Risk: Godstorm, Runebound, Shogun, and Zombies!

We'll probably get back into Conan again when the Shadizar box set comes out... at least, that is my hope!

Good luck and happy gaming everyone! :wink:

 

[Iron_Chef]

Time to bump this thread up again for everyone who missed it the first time 'round. :wink:

PS: Miss me?

 

[AZZA]

It's been a a while chef!!
I used two of the scenario intro ideas in one adventure. Worked very nicely. Hoping to see more of your work here soon.

 

[Arcadayn]

Does anyone know how how to make a thread "sticky" so it stays at the top of the front page? I think this one definitely warrants it!

I'd also like to thank Iron Chef for his awesome work and second the usefullness of Marvel's old Savage Sword of Conan and Conan Saga mags as inspirational material for any gm.

 

[Iron_Chef]

Update: I've taken a new job and moved out of state from my first and only gaming group of 22+ years, so it seems likely that this marks the end of my gaming days for the most part (except vacations, though those will probably be limited to boardgames like Heroscape or the like).

On the plus side, I'm making good money and more or less enjoying my work. On the minus side (apart from the obvious associated with moving far away from family and friends), this thread is probably the extent of the Conan gaming material I will produce for many years...

If you can make this thread a sticky, you should (email Mongoose and ask). I'll be happy knowing my work is up here for the community to enjoy for years to come...

Thanks everybody for all your support! 8)