I plan on having my PCs get taken up North by a band of Aesir this week. Anyone running a campaign in Nordheim? Any ideas for what sort of things they might encounter in the wild? The main rulebook mentions some sort of polar vampire worm, sounds sorta tough for my 3rd level pcs.
Nordheim Campaign
- Thread starter Paluka
- Start date
In a Nordheim campaign, the main enemies should be the weather and the terrain. If you look at the environment rules in the SRD, you'll see that surviving in ice cold landscapes can be much of a challenge for 3rd-lvl heroes. Add some vanir raiders, polar bears, wolves and other ape men, and your PCs will probably flee toward warmer kingdoms 
Arkobla Conn
Mongoose
Apologies to Mongoose....but have you checked out D&D's Frostburn accessory? It has excellent rules/insights on cold weather.
Didn't the Ice-worm in the stories have human servants?
You can use the Ice-worm as a McGuffin, that the PCs aren't expected to actually fight, and still have them fight its minions.
Failing that, you can simply hve a white, shaggy version of the ghouls or the giant apes, waylaying travellers in a narrow snowy pass. Knowing this, nobody sane ever travels that way, even though it would cut days off the journey.
Conan is often driven into such dangerous, abandoned places either because he is fleeing a battle in which he was in the losing army, or has a desperate need for speed. So its easy enough to do the same to your PCs.
You can use the Ice-worm as a McGuffin, that the PCs aren't expected to actually fight, and still have them fight its minions.
Failing that, you can simply hve a white, shaggy version of the ghouls or the giant apes, waylaying travellers in a narrow snowy pass. Knowing this, nobody sane ever travels that way, even though it would cut days off the journey.
Conan is often driven into such dangerous, abandoned places either because he is fleeing a battle in which he was in the losing army, or has a desperate need for speed. So its easy enough to do the same to your PCs.
The King
Cosmic Mongoose
Don't forget razzia between villages. When a Nordheimer can't go far away because of the weather, he will just loot his neighbour (for women and livestocks).Paluka said:
Sometimes there are deeper hatred between tribes or clans going on for many generations. So a war party will be organized to loot and raze the villages of the foes.
Of course you sometimes have to cross the territory of other tribes which will attack you or expell you. They may also allow you free path provided you give them something or you are just allied with them.
In fact, clan war is the principal occupation of Norheimer. Then in Spring and Summer they go raid in other countries because their villages can't nurture them and because they are worth nothing with cattles and corn fields (many fighters are full-time warriors and don't farm).
They don't raid their neighbours because if they did, harvest would suffer and there would be nothing to loot during next winter.
No one seems to have mentioned the Frost Giants and Frost Giants Daughter from Scrolls of Skelos as of yet. Might be worth a look if you havn't yet. There may also be remnants of the long white haired apes mentioned in "The Hyborian Age" around.
On a more original note, I've ben toying with the concept of using Beowulf as an adventure for Conan. The players sleep in a local village, praised after helping defeat a local tribe. But in the night, a large black Grendel like creature attacks. As an additional twist, perhaps it is summoned by the enemy tribe? Or perhaps Grendel's mother may make an appearance, from the second Beowulf tale.
The Fire Drake which eventually kills Beowulf may be slightly too high fantasy for Conan, but there are alternatives. There is nothing to say prehistoric "Dragons" would not be trapped in glaciers. Perhaps one is reanimated, or maybe a herd of Mammoths is resurrected, and used by a local warlord as mounts in a battle in the North?
Just a few ideas from the top of my head. I hope this helps somewhat.
On a more original note, I've ben toying with the concept of using Beowulf as an adventure for Conan. The players sleep in a local village, praised after helping defeat a local tribe. But in the night, a large black Grendel like creature attacks. As an additional twist, perhaps it is summoned by the enemy tribe? Or perhaps Grendel's mother may make an appearance, from the second Beowulf tale.
The Fire Drake which eventually kills Beowulf may be slightly too high fantasy for Conan, but there are alternatives. There is nothing to say prehistoric "Dragons" would not be trapped in glaciers. Perhaps one is reanimated, or maybe a herd of Mammoths is resurrected, and used by a local warlord as mounts in a battle in the North?
Just a few ideas from the top of my head. I hope this helps somewhat.
sanseveria
Mongoose
I recommend using the polar vampire worm :twisted:
Maybe have it show up as the party is fighting a Vanir raiding party. Sometimes in this game, its important to make the players realize that if they don`t flee, they die. Plain and simple. Force them to flee the scene while the worm finishes of the Vanir.
Then the party can run through the snow and ice blindly, maybe losing equipment or the such. Eventually as they run, they break through a layer of ice into a large crater full of ancient ruins, inhabited by a race of snow devils or like creatures. Turns out these devils have a group of Vanir slaves, captured as they crept too close to the ruins.
SS
Maybe have it show up as the party is fighting a Vanir raiding party. Sometimes in this game, its important to make the players realize that if they don`t flee, they die. Plain and simple. Force them to flee the scene while the worm finishes of the Vanir.
Then the party can run through the snow and ice blindly, maybe losing equipment or the such. Eventually as they run, they break through a layer of ice into a large crater full of ancient ruins, inhabited by a race of snow devils or like creatures. Turns out these devils have a group of Vanir slaves, captured as they crept too close to the ruins.
SS
Jason Durall
Mongoose
Hyborian said:In a Nordheim campaign, the main enemies should be the weather and the terrain. If you look at the environment rules in the SRD, you'll see that surviving in ice cold landscapes can be much of a challenge for 3rd-lvl heroes. Add some vanir raiders, polar bears, wolves and other ape men, and your PCs will probably flee toward warmer kingdoms
I don't know if I would agree with this, per se.
Howard never really made a big deal about survival in the winter (or other environments, with the one exception in Xuthal of the Dusk) ... it was just another flavor to the adventure or something to keep in mind, not an threat in and of itself.
Characters from those lands (Cimmeria, Asgard, Vanaheim, Hyperborea) should know all of the tricks of survival as a matter of course.
Bjorn the Barbarian
Mongoose
I agree, I would not make any northern character dwell to much on surviving what would be routine weather conditions for them. Although I did have fun with the "non-northmen" characters as they tried to traverse the snowy and rocky terrain.
As far as adventures, I had my players run into a Hyperborian raiding party (with Witchmen) which resulted in them having to eventually go north to rescue an Aesirian King's daughter (i.e. like when Conan rescued Rann Njalsdatter only to get captured himself by the Witchmen and their zombies).
As far as adventures, I had my players run into a Hyperborian raiding party (with Witchmen) which resulted in them having to eventually go north to rescue an Aesirian King's daughter (i.e. like when Conan rescued Rann Njalsdatter only to get captured himself by the Witchmen and their zombies).
slaughterj
Mongoose
Jason Durall said:Hyborian said:In a Nordheim campaign, the main enemies should be the weather and the terrain. If you look at the environment rules in the SRD, you'll see that surviving in ice cold landscapes can be much of a challenge for 3rd-lvl heroes. Add some vanir raiders, polar bears, wolves and other ape men, and your PCs will probably flee toward warmer kingdoms
I don't know if I would agree with this, per se.
Howard never really made a big deal about survival in the winter (or other environments, with the one exception in Xuthal of the Dusk) ... it was just another flavor to the adventure or something to keep in mind, not an threat in and of itself.
Characters from those lands (Cimmeria, Asgard, Vanaheim, Hyperborea) should know all of the tricks of survival as a matter of course.
Further, from a gaming perspective, passive threats (weather, collapsing bridges, traps, etc.) are not particularly fun for players, e.g., fail a die roll and die from exposure or falling to your doom, rather than facing off against active threats (bandits, monsters, etc.) from which you can fight or flee.
Jason Durall said:
Well actually I was thinking of a band of PCs from other kingdoms, not nordheimer. That's why mentioned the weather as a "potential adversary".
And of course, I didn't mean to use the environment to kill them outright, just to add some flavour to the adventure by showing them that dangers can take many forms in the Hyborian Age.
A
Anonymous
Guest
I have to admit, that the Northenr Reaches of the Hyborian World really intrigue me.
I would love For Mongoose to do a book entitled "Beyond the Egliophian Mountains"
There is such a rich and vibrant culture that is to be had there with the Proto Celtic and Nordic and Finnish Cultures. Northern Weather Magic, Witchmen, De-evolved humans, petty chieftains and their petty minions and blood lust.
MONGOOSE ARE YOU GETTING THE HINT, Get somebody to do a great book!
I would love For Mongoose to do a book entitled "Beyond the Egliophian Mountains"
There is such a rich and vibrant culture that is to be had there with the Proto Celtic and Nordic and Finnish Cultures. Northern Weather Magic, Witchmen, De-evolved humans, petty chieftains and their petty minions and blood lust.
MONGOOSE ARE YOU GETTING THE HINT, Get somebody to do a great book!
