Clovenhoof
Mongoose
Alright, sorry about being so easily lured into threadjacking; I will make no further comments on Barb-vs-Nomad or similar questions in this thread. (I'll just edit in a bit WTF??? at kintire.)
General hints for playing / DMing Conan:
Be aware of the rule changes from D&D 3.X. (This is assuming that you know D&D). Also be aware that some Conan mechanisms are simply broken and should be houseruled.
The "Two-handed Power Attack for Massive Damage" certainly being one of the biggest problems, because it makes triggering Massive Damage so easy that every other combat style than two-handed weapons becomes unviable. A common nerf is very simple: just remove the double damage bonus. Any PA should simply give a damage bonus equal to the attack penalty, end of story. This has not only to do with game balance but also with creating a Conanesque atmosphere - in Conan we don't often see any character wielding a 2HW.
Also note that there are certain other changes, which aren't broken at all but can make combat more interesting:
* Two Weapon Combat: many classes start out with the Two Weapon Fighting feat for free. Moreover, a TWF character does not suffer _any_ penalty to his attack rolls as long as at least one of his weapons is Light. Fighting with two One-handed weapons only carries a -2 penalty to each.
* Attack while moving: in Conan, you may move both before and after an attack. However, you draw Attacks of Opportunity normally. Note that the Spring Attack feat has been removed, but there are three classes that become pretty much immune to AoOs on higher levels.
* Defense: there are no magic items, but each class has inherent Defense progressions. However, most classes (save 2) are very vulnerable while flat-footed.
* Initiative: Ini rolls are essentially Reflex saves. Initiative is also much more important than in D&D, due to the Massive Damage rules and the way Defense works. So all in all, classes with good Ref save are at an advantage.
* Armour: armour gives DR, which is very helpful in combat, but the system doesn't force you to always wear the heaviest armour possible. (Depending on the playing style, I hear wearing heavier than Light Armour can be suicidal.) In my games we've never had a character who wore or wanted to wear heavier than light armour.
So much for now, gotta run.
General hints for playing / DMing Conan:
Be aware of the rule changes from D&D 3.X. (This is assuming that you know D&D). Also be aware that some Conan mechanisms are simply broken and should be houseruled.
The "Two-handed Power Attack for Massive Damage" certainly being one of the biggest problems, because it makes triggering Massive Damage so easy that every other combat style than two-handed weapons becomes unviable. A common nerf is very simple: just remove the double damage bonus. Any PA should simply give a damage bonus equal to the attack penalty, end of story. This has not only to do with game balance but also with creating a Conanesque atmosphere - in Conan we don't often see any character wielding a 2HW.
Also note that there are certain other changes, which aren't broken at all but can make combat more interesting:
* Two Weapon Combat: many classes start out with the Two Weapon Fighting feat for free. Moreover, a TWF character does not suffer _any_ penalty to his attack rolls as long as at least one of his weapons is Light. Fighting with two One-handed weapons only carries a -2 penalty to each.
* Attack while moving: in Conan, you may move both before and after an attack. However, you draw Attacks of Opportunity normally. Note that the Spring Attack feat has been removed, but there are three classes that become pretty much immune to AoOs on higher levels.
* Defense: there are no magic items, but each class has inherent Defense progressions. However, most classes (save 2) are very vulnerable while flat-footed.
* Initiative: Ini rolls are essentially Reflex saves. Initiative is also much more important than in D&D, due to the Massive Damage rules and the way Defense works. So all in all, classes with good Ref save are at an advantage.
* Armour: armour gives DR, which is very helpful in combat, but the system doesn't force you to always wear the heaviest armour possible. (Depending on the playing style, I hear wearing heavier than Light Armour can be suicidal.) In my games we've never had a character who wore or wanted to wear heavier than light armour.
So much for now, gotta run.