Hyboria's Fiercest

I don't know about Quebec, but I haven't seen HF in Alberta either. But then, this country takes a long time to get stuff that's already out in the U.S. There's a lot of books you just can't get up here right away (for example, the Making of Kingdom of Heaven book has been out in the U.S. for a bit now, but it's still not available in most of Canada).

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I'm glad that Conan isn't being stuffed full of Prestige Classes. I've found that they've sort of become the detriment of 3.5 D&D, and they rarely add -anything- to a game, except to create classes that are too high on the power-curve in relation to base classes. A good character story and sometimes a little rule-tweaking or gratuitous multi-classing can replace pretty much all prestige classes.

The most common use of PrCs is still the 'cultural/organization' thing. But I prefer to create organizations and cultural differences with flavour text. I don't, for example, need a special class for Aquilonian knights. I just need to make sure that many of the NPC Aquilonian knights that I create for the game have similar abilities, feat choices, etc. This creates the right atmosphere and feel for the various organizations without need for a PrC.

3. I thought the meaning of the prestige class is to specialize the character on a higher level. The multi-class is more like the old Kits of AD&D like in the Complete Ranger`s Handbook.

Well by what WotC has said - PrCs were not -originally- supposed to be Kits 3rd Edition, they were supposed to be world-building tools for a DM to enforce a particular trend with characters from a certain organization or area, and were originally meant mostly for NPCs. PrCs are totally optional, remember, according to the Dungeon Master's Guide.

But I can understand why most people seem to think that they're just "better classes" - since PrCs were so popular, WotC just started pumping out tons of them, which devalues the entire concept.
 
If you do a search on the main page for Conan, you'll find that Hyboria's Finest is due to be released in Oct/2005. I don't know how accurate this is, but it's probably a good estimate.
SS[/quote]

Too bad I just quit playing my Aesir Barbarian shortly before I got my hands on HF. At least we have a borderer and a nomad in our group so the book still can do some good, besides the information on terrain and wounding effects of course :wink:

Still hope they push it up the schedule line anyway since it´s already written.

Regards
Marcel
 
Teutonic said:
1. OK, this is good reason...
2. Are there so many? I know only the forest Runner and the Professional from shadizar

Well, there are the Gunderland Mercenary and Poitainian Knight from Signs and Portents (reprinted in Aquilonia), the Gunderland Pikeman (also in Aquilonia), the Professional (in Shadizar), the Dancing Savage, Drummer in the Dark, Forest Runner, Hunt Master, Paramount Chief (from AtTR), Merchant Prince, House Agent (from Messantia), Lord of the Black Ring, Sorcerer of the Scarlet Circle, and Master of the Black Circle (from Scrolls of Skelos). Also there is a Darfari prestige class in Signs and Portents.

I am rather disinclined to add more to that list unless I feel additional PrC are extremely appropriate to the culture - or unless I feel the PrC are actually being used, either by players or GMs.

I tend to write the books the way I would want a sourcebook - which means I write them to be useful to me and my games. My players rarely bother with prestige classes. They use skills and feats instead. Thus, most of WotC's books, filled to the brim with PrCs, are largely useless to me. I won't write something I won't use in a game. All the prestige classes in my books exist because I needed a villain who could accomplish something specific. I don't create what I will not use - so if you see a prestige class in a book, it is because I used it for a villain and thought it appropriate for the setting. I don't use prestige classes unless I need something done appropriate for the culture that cannot be done via multi-classing or feat/skill selection.

The best characters are those who are inventive with their abilities and have cultural and personal flavour of their own - not those with improved rules to make the character interesting or different. Just like the best scholars can conserve their sorcery with sleight-of-hand, smoke, mirrors and alchemy, so to are the best characters made. A good bit of discription and misdirection can disguise a class or make it seem interesting and new.

Teutonic said:
3. I thought the meaning of the prestige class is to specialize the character on a higher level. The multi-class is more like the old Kits of AD&D like in the Complete Ranger`s Handbook.
My borderer is now 4th level and we got the book just a few days ago. Now it`s to late to make a dual-class like the skirmisher. Or work the variant rules even you don´t multiclass like it is shown in the table.

No. A prestige class should be prestigious - therefore important to the culture at hand. Not all specialised positions require a prestige class. Anyone who kills for money is an assassin, for example, whether they have a PrC or not. Someone is a skirmisher if they act like one - which is mostly just a matter of appropriate feat and skill selections.

The multiclass progressions are suggestions only. If you want to make a skirmisher as described in Hyboria's Fiercest, take four levels in soldier.

Teutonic said:
7. I would play the Forest Runner, but at this level I don`t have the prerequisites for it. And one in my group (known on this board here as phlip fry) is thinking about taking the Professional (assassin) class...
Heck, do you realy want to hear all the character?s stories. If someone strts with it it is like opening Pandora`s box.

Yes. I would much rather read about people's characters and their great deeds and boasts instead of rules discussions. RPGs are better (IMHO) when story driven, not rule driven.
 
VincentDarlage said:
I tend to write the books the way I would want a sourcebook - which means I write them to be useful to me and my games.

And that's exactly why I enjoy the books by you the best. I think you've hit it right on with what I want to see in a sourcebook.



VincentDarlage said:
My players rarely bother with prestige classes. They use skills and feats instead. Thus, most of WotC's books, filled to the brim with PrCs, are largely useless to me. I won't write something I won't use in a game. All the prestige classes in my books exist because I needed a villain who could accomplish something specific. I don't create what I will not use - so if you see a prestige class in a book, it is because I used it for a villain and thought it appropriate for the setting. I don't use prestige classes unless I need something done appropriate for the culture that cannot be done via multi-classing or feat/skill selection.
A prestige class should be prestigious - therefore important to the culture at hand. Not all specialised positions require a prestige class. Anyone who kills for money is an assassin, for example, whether they have a PrC or not. Someone is a skirmisher if they act like one - which is mostly just a matter of appropriate feat and skill selections.

I couldn't agree w/ you more on your thoughts on PRCs. Use what's there already be creative and you'll have a much more interesting character IMO. There's a lot you can do w/ the variant rules, or a small change here or there, or multiclassing to get the kind of PC you envision.
 
Damien said:
I'm glad that Conan isn't being stuffed full of Prestige Classes. I've found that they've sort of become the detriment of 3.5 D&D, and they rarely add -anything- to a game, except to create classes that are too high on the power-curve in relation to base classes. A good character story and sometimes a little rule-tweaking or gratuitous multi-classing can replace pretty much all prestige classes.
I couldn't agree more with this. Keep up the good work with those PrC-free sourcebooks, Vincent!
 
Y'know, I've never needed a PrC for my campaign. The ease of multiclassing makes it sort of redundant. I mean where else can you get a Zamoran Level 3 Pirate/Level 5 Thief/Level 1 Soldier? 8)

P.S. In a related topic, can anyone tell me where I can find the Bandit class referred to Aquilonia, Flower of the West?

Raven
 
P.S. In a related topic, can anyone tell me where I can find the Bandit class referred to Aquilonia, Flower of the West?

Not 100% sure here but I think it was in an early issue of S&P, it's basically a slightly modified Pirate class.

I'm also glad there isn't very many PrCs. On the other hand I like the inclusion of 2 or 3 prestige classes in the regional books. They give a away a piece of the culture that someone who hasn't read all of REH's Conan might be familiar with. But more than 2 or 3 wouldn't be a good thing IMO, and I would keep them contained to regional and city sourcebooks.

SS
 
sanseveria said:
P.S. In a related topic, can anyone tell me where I can find the Bandit class referred to Aquilonia, Flower of the West?
Not 100% sure here but I think it was in an early issue of S&P, it's basically a slightly modified Pirate class.
Yep. it was originally posted in Signs & Portents, issue 12. As this url page breakdown of the issue suggests:
The Bandit – A brand new character class variant for Conan the Roleplaying Game. This is the land version of a pirate, but he’s no dashing Robin Hood type. Hyborian bandits steal from the rich, then steal from the poor as well before selling their children into slavery. But what do you care? Think of all the gold you can spend carousing and wenching in the bordellos of Shadizar or the harems of Aghrapur!
Fine for NPCs, I agree with what's quoted below:
sanseveria said:
I'm also glad there isn't very many PrCs. On the other hand I like the inclusion of 2 or 3 prestige classes in the regional books. They give a away a piece of the culture that someone who hasn't read all of REH's Conan might be familiar with. But more than 2 or 3 wouldn't be a good thing IMO, and I would keep them contained to regional and city sourcebooks.
I second that.

Sigh, I'm still waiting for my copy of Hyboria's Fiercest, which I only ordered something like 4 months ago! Can't wait for it, then maybe I can actually refer to many of the issues, etc raised in so many of these threads. :wink:
 
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